/ 


The  Battle-Field 


BUNKER     HILL: 


A     RELATION    OF    THE    ACTION 


WILLIAM     PRESCOTT, 


Illustrative    documents. 


A  Papkr   communicates    to    the    Massachusetts    Historical    Society 
Junk   10,  1870,  with   Additions. 


RICHARD/  FROTHINGHA 


M; 


BOSTON: 
PRINTED    FOR    THE    AUTHOR 

1876. 


I'i  ill 


The  Battle-Field 


OF 


BUNKER     HILL: 

WITH 

A    RELATION    OF    THE    ACTION 

15  Y 

WILLIAM    PRE  SCOTT, 

AND 

Ellttstratibe    documents. 


A  Paper   communicated    to    the    Massachusetts    Historical    Society, 
June  10,  1875,  with  Additions. 


BY 

RICHARD    FROTHINGHAM. 


BOSTON: 

PRINTED    FOR    THE    AUTHOR. 

1876. 


3%  F^ 


Cambridge : 
Press  of  John   Wilson  <S°  Son. 


- 


THE 


BATTLE-FIELD    OF    BUNKER  HILL. 


The  stated  Monthly  Meeting  of  the  Massachusetts  His- 
torical Society  was  held  at  the  residence  of  Richard 
Frothingham,  No.  9  Monument  Square,  on  the  10th  of 
June,  1875.  The  first  Vice-President,  Hon.  Charles 
Francis  Adams,  was  in  the  chair. 

The  customary  business  having  been  transacted,  the 
presiding  officer  made  remarks  appropriate  to  the  occa- 
sion. He  referred  to  the  associations  connected  with 
the  spot  on  which  the  Society  had  assembled,  and  called 
on  Mr.  Frothingham,  who  spoke  substantially  as  fol- 
lows :  *  — 

MR.  FROTHINGHAM' S   REMARKS. 

I  am  glad  to  welcome  this  large  attendance  of  the  members 
on  this  famous  battle-ground.  It  evinces  the  wide  interest 
in  the  approaching  great  centenary.  I  do  not  mean  to  weary 
you  with  a  recital  of  the  old  story  of  the  Bunker  Hill  Battle, 
but  purpose  to  confine  my  remarks  to  a  few  of  the  more  im- 
portant maps  and  illustrations  displayed  on  the  frame  before 
you  ;  and  to  have  these  remarks  bear  upon  the  main  points 
of  the  battle. 

The  "  View  of  Charlestown  in  1743"  is  a  reproduction  of 
an  old  picture.  It  represents  only  a  portion  of  the  large 
area  of  territory  belonging  to  the  town  in  1775,  which  era- 

*  The  "  View  of  Charlestown  "  is  here  published  for  the  first  time. 


M176410 


4  BATTLE-FIELD   OF   BUNKER   HILL. 

braced  the  whole  of  the  present  city  of  Somerville.  It  had 
between  four  and  live  hundred  buildings,  and  between  two 
and  three  thousand  inhabitants.  The  picture  represents  the 
southern  portion  of  the  peninsula  bordering  on  Charles  River. 
On  the  opposite,  or  the  north-eastern,  side  is  the  Mystic 
River.  The  two  rivers  flow  near  each  other  at  the  Neck  ;  in- 
deed, within  half  a  century,  in  high  tides,  the  waters  met  and 
made  the  peninsula  an  island.  On  the  extreme  right  is  seen 
a  battery  with  a  flag  and  port-holes.  This  was  built  in  1634 ; 
was  kept  ready  for  use,  and  was  regularly  inspected  by  the 
government  of  the  colony.  Nine  months  previous  to  the 
battle,  or  in  September,  1774,  its  guns  and  ammunition  were 
quietly  removed  in  the  night  to  a  place  of  security,  by  the 
young  men  of  Charlestown.  Next  to  it  is  represented  a  ship- 
yard ;  this  place  and  the  battery  are  named,  in  the  accounts 
of  the  battle,  as  the  places  where  the  re-enforcements  landed. 
They  were  near  the  entrance  to  the  Navy  Yard.  The  line  of 
wharves  indicates  the  commerce  that  had  long  been  a  feature 
of  the  town.  The  buildings  were  located  on  the  southern 
side  of  the  heights.  The  three  spires  denote  the  school- 
house,  the  church,  and  the  court-house. 

A  view  of  the  heights  and  hills  is  more  fully  represented 
on  a  sketch  drawn  in  1775.  It  is  entitled,  "  A  View  of 
Charlestown  and  the  Back  Ground,  as  far  as  the  Narrow 
Pass.  Taken  from  the  Beacon  Hill."  On  the  right  of  the 
picture  is  Moulton  Hill,  which  was  near  where  Chelsea 
Bridge  commences.  It  was  thirty-five  feet  high.  The  name 
is  from  Robert  Moulton,  a  famous  ship-builder,  who  was  here 
in  1631.  He  was  a  member  of  the  first  board  of  selectmen, 
one  of  the  first  representative  delegation,  and  was,  in  every 
respect,  a  valuable  citizen.'  Near  this  hill,  or  on  the  point 
now  a  portion  of  the  Navy  Yard,  the  British  army  landed. 
On  the  left  is  Bunker  Hill,  This  name  is  from  an  early  citi- 
zen, George  Bunker,  a  man  of  wealth  and  character.  He 
was  here  in  1634,  and  was  assigned  land  extending  from 
Main  Street  on  the  south,  over  the  hill  back  of  it  to  the  north, 
to  Mystic  River.  His  proportion  in  allotments  of  land  for 
several  years  is  among  the  largest.  His  descendants  were 
numerous,  and  one  of  his  sons  was  a  clergyman.  In  answer 
to  inquiries,  I  informed  Mr.  Froude  when  he  was  here,  of 
these  facts,  and  that  the  name  Bunker  Hill  was  from  George 
Bunker,  and  is  found  on  Charlestown  records  and  in  deeds  of 
land  all  through  the  colonial  era.  I  was  surprised  to  see  Mr. 
Froude's  statement  that  he  could  not  learn,  when  he  was  in 
America,  the  origin  of  the  name  of  Bunker  Hill.     Bunker  Hill 


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BATTLE-FIELD   OF   BUNKER   HILL.  5 

was  one  hundred  and  ten  feet  high.  On  its  northern  acclivity, 
the  British  built  a  fortress  of  remarkable  strength.  Here  the 
fighting  ended  on  the  evening  of  the  19th  of  April,  and  here 
the  battle  closed  on  the  afternoon  of  the  17th  of  June. 

The  high  land  rising  from  the  settled  part  of  the  town  was 
not  known,  prior  to  the  day  of  the  battle,  by  a  particular  name. 
It  was,  like  Bunker  Hill  and  Moulfcon's  Hill,  covered  with 
orchards  and  pasture  grounds.  On  the  portion  near  the 
monument  were  Russell's  Pasture,  Green's  Pasture,  and 
Breed's  Pasture.  I  have  not  met  the  term  "  Breed's  Hill  " 
before  the  date  of  1775,  either  in  the  Charlestown  records, 
the  Middlesex  county  records,  or  in  private  letters;  but  saw  it 
for  the  first  time  in  a  letter  giving  an  account  of  the  battle. 
It  soon  came  into  use.  The  name  is  from  a  respectable  citizen 
who  was  a  large  land-owner  here.  I  am  aware  that  Colonel 
Prescott,  in  his  letter  of  Aug.  25,  1775,  says  that  he  "  re- 
ceived orders  to  March  to  Breed's  Hill"  ;  but  this  must  have 
been  an  inadvertence.  He  was  certainly  ordered  to  Bunker 
Hill.  The  eastern  side  sloped  to  low  land,  on  which  were 
clay  pits  and  marsh,  which  has  been  filled  up.  Beyond  this, 
or  along  the  margin  of  the  Mystic,  the  land  became  higher, 
and  so  continued  from  Moulton's  Point  to  the  base  of  Bunker 
Hill.     It  is  the  surface  of  to-day. 

Thirty  years  ago  I  searched  the  town  archives,  the  State 
archives,  and  several  public  libraries  for  a  map  of  Charles- 
town  of  the  date  of  1775,  or  before  that  year,  but  un- 
successfully. Nor  has  there  yet  been  found,  of  that  date, 
more  than  plans  of  parts  of  the  town.  At  that  time,  I  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  from  England  a  map  published  on  a  sheet, 
under  the  following  title  :  "  A  Plan  of  the  Action  at  Bunker's 
Hill,  on  the  17th  of  June,  1775,  between  His  Majesty's 
Troops,  under  the  Command  of  Major  General  Howe,  and 
the  Rebel  Forces  ;  by  Lieutenant  Page  of  the  Engineers,  who 
acted  as  Aide-de-Camp  to  General  Howe  in  that  action. 
N.  B.  The  Ground  Plan  is  from  an  Actual  Survey  by  Captain 
Montresor." 

Captain  Montresor  was  subsequently  (Sparks's  Washing- 
ton, IV.,  105)  an  aide-de-camp  of  General  Howe. 

This  map  was  published  in  1777.  The  author,  Lieutenant 
Page,  was  an  engineer  of  the  royal  navy.  On  account  of  the 
wounds  he  then  received,  he  had  leave  of  absence,  and  was 
in  England  in  January,  1776.  "  This  gentleman,"  says  the 
London  u  Chronicle,"  Jan.  11,  1776,  u  is  the  only  one  now  liv- 
ing of  those  who  acted  as  aides-de-camp  to  General  Howe,  so 
great  was  the  slaughter  of  officers  that  day.     He  particularly 


6  BATTLE-FIELD    OF   BUNKER   HILL. 

distinguished  himself  in  the  storming  of  the  redoubt,  for 
which  he  received  General  Howe's  thanks."  He  was  on  the 
field  for  months  after  the  action,  and  doubtless  often  visited 
the  redoubt  which  he  helped  to  storm.  He  would  be  likely 
to  master  the  details  of  the  battle.  Thus  his  profession  as  an 
engineer,  and  his  services  as  a  soldier,  qualified  him  in  a 
peculiar  manner  for  the  work  of  preparing  a  plan  of  the  bat- 
tle. He  also,  from  his  own  observations  and  the  plans  of 
others,  published,  in  1777,  a  Plan  of  Boston,  showing  the 
British  works.  The  first  American  engravings  of  this  Plan 
of  Boston  and  of  the  battle  were  made  on  copper  plate  for 
the  "  Siege  of  Boston,"  published  in  1849. 

In  1794,  C.  Stedman,  of  London,  published  a  "  History  of 
the  American  War."  He  also  served  under  General  Howe. 
This  work  has  elaborate  plans  of  the  more  important  battles 
of  the  revolutionary  war,  One  of  them  is  entitled,  "  A  Plan 
of  the  Action  at  Bunker's  Hill,  on  the  17th  of  June,  1775. 
Between  His  Majesty's  troops,  under  the  command  of  Major 
General  Howe,  and  the  American  Forces :  engraved  for  Sted- 
man's  History  of  the  War.  Published  by  the  Author,  April 
12th,  1793."  This  is  the  whole  title.  It  does  not  say 
that  the  ground-plan  was  from  an  actual  survey,  or  that  the 
plan  was  drawn  by  an  engineer.  On  comparing,  however, 
the  engraving  of  which  I  had  a  copy,  of  1777,  with  that  of 
1793,  I  found  that  the  plate  of  the  former  had  only  been 
altered  in  the  title,  but  that  the  rest  of  it  had  been  retained 
and  used  for  the  history.  This  is  the  copy  that  was  best 
known  in  America.  It  is  what  is  termed  the  "  Stedman 
Map,"  or  the  "  Stedman  Plan."  It  is  here  before  you. 
No  other  map  of  an  authentic  or  elaborate  character,  and 
only  those  displayed  on  this  frame,  appeared  for  nearly  a 
quarter  of  a  century.  Then  "  The  Gleaner,"  a  newspaper 
published  in  Wilkesbarre,  by  Charles  Miner,  had  an  article 
relative  to  a  plan  of  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  "  taken  by  a 
British  officer  at  the  time,  who  was  in  the  engagement."  It 
was  a  manuscript  found  in  an  old  drawer,  and  was  a  portion 
of  the  captured  baggage  of  an  officer  of  the  British  army. 
The  article  says :  "  This  probably  is  the  only  accurate  plan  of 
that  memorable  battle  in  existence.  It  ought  certainly  to  be 
engraved." 

Following  this  suggestion,  the  "  Analectic  Magazine,"  for 
February,  1818,  printed  a  facsimile  of  this  plan.  The  editor 
says :  "  It  has  been  submitted  to  many  respectable  inhabi- 
tants of  Boston,  Charlestown,  and  the  vicinity,  some  engaged 
in  the  action  of  that  memorable  day,  others  spectators  of  it ; 


BATTLE-FIELD   OF   BUNKER   HILL.  7 

all  of  whom  concur  in  pronouncing  it  to  be  correct,  with 
trivial  exceptions.  Its  general  accuracy  has  been  approved 
by  Governor  Brooks,  General  Dearborn,  Dr.  Dexter,  the 
Hon.  Mr.  Winthrop,  and  Mr.  Prescott,  son  of  the  Colonel 
Prescott  who  first  marked  out  the  entrenchments  in  the 
night  of  the  16th  of  June,  which  he  afterwards  contributed 
so  ably  to  defend.  Dr.  Bartlett,  of  Charlestown,  on  examin- 
ing the  plan,  pointed  out  the  station  of  a  man-of-war  —  the 
4  Somerset,'  74 —  to  be  directly  between  Boston  and  Charles- 
town,  whence  she  could  batter  the  American  Redoubt."  The 
title  is  as  follows :  "  Sketch  of  the  Action  on  the  Heights  of 
Charlestown,  June  17,  1775,  between  His  Majesty's  Troops, 
under  the  command  of  Major-General  Howe,  and  a  large 
body  of  American  Rebels.  Copied  by  J.  A.  Chapman  from 
an  original  sketch  taken  by  Henry  De  Berniere,  of  the  14th 
Regiment  of  Infantry,  now  in  the  hands  of  J.  Cist,  Esq.  En- 
graved by  Kneass,  Young,  &  Co.,  for  the  '  Analectic  Maga- 
zine.' Published  by  M.  Thomas,  Philad11."  A  copy  of  this 
is  on  the  frame  before  you. 

The  editor  of  the  "  Port  Folio  "  also  procured  an  engrav- 
ing of  it,  by  Mr.  Fairman.  A  proof-sheet  was  submitted  to 
General  Henry  Dearborn,  who  served  as  a  captain  in  the 
battle.  He  indicated  what  he  regarded  as  a  few  errors,  which 
he  corrected  in  red,  "  without  removing  what  appeared  to 
him  amiss,  as  it  was  deemed  unnecessaiy  to  disturb  the 
original."  This  plan  appeared  in  this  shape,  —  that  is,  the  red 
on  the  map,  —  in  the  "  Port  Folio  "  for  March,  1818,  as  "  drawn 
by  Henry  de  Berniere,  Tenth  Royal  Infantry."  A  copy  of 
this  is  on  the  frame.  In  the  points  of  the  redoubt  and 
breastwork,  of  the  rail  fence  on  the  declivity  of  Bunker 
Hill,  of  the  landing  of  the  main  body  of  the  British  army  and 
of  the  re-enforcements,  and  of  the  general  movements  of  the 
action,  it  agrees,  substantially,  with  the  plan  of  Page.  In 
these  regards,  the  plans  may  be  looked  upon  as  invaluable 
testimony  to  each  other's  accuracy.  Both  have  "  Bunker 
Hill."  Berniere  has  "Bunker"  on  both  the  hills,  but  does  not 
give  "  Breed's  Hill."  Page  gives  both  names,  but  places  them 
wrong,  —  that  is,  he  puts  "  Bunker's  Hill"  where  "Breed's 
Hill "  ought  to  be.  Berniere  has  "  School-House  Hill,"  which, 
on  the  crude  map  in  "  Murray's  War  in  America,"  1782, 
before  you,  is  called  "  School  Hill." 

This  plan  of  Berniere's  has  been  reproduced  in  this  country 
several  times  since  1818,  as  may  be  seen  in  the  copies  before 
you.  The  testimonies  to  its  accuracy  by,  among  others,  citi- 
zens of  Charlestown,  must  have  been  confined  to  the  general 


8  BATTLE-FIELD   OF  BUNKER   HILL. 

movements  of  the  battle.  The  ground-plan  was  not  from  an 
actual  survey,  and  though,  in  general,  it  bears  a  certain  re- 
semblance to  the  place,  yet  in  its  detail  it  is  quite  incorrect 
and  unworthy  of  being  followed  as  a  guide.  In  spite  of  this, 
however,  it  appears  to  have  been  the  only  one  used  at  the 
period  of  the  building  of  the  present  monument. 

Down  to  this  time,  little  if  any  attention  appears  to  have 
been  given  to  the  plan  of  Page.  The  vital  fact  stated  in  its 
title,  that  the  ground-plan  was  from  an  actual  survey,  by 
Montresor,  does  not  seem  to  have  elicited  a  single  remark. 
I  know  of  no  attempt  to  test  its  accuracy.  It  happened  that, 
in  1848,  Messrs.  Felton  and  Parker,  accomplished  engineers, 
were  employed  by  the  city  to  survey  and  make  a  plan  of 
Charlestown.  The  printed  copy  was  drawn  on  the  same  scale 
as  that  of  Page.  In  1849,  I  had  an  engineer  draw,  on  the 
plan  of  Felton  and  Parker,  the  plan  of  Page.  This  is  before 
you.  The  shore-lines  of  the  entire  peninsula,  and  the 
principal  streets,  will  be  seen  to  coincide  to  such  a  degree  as 
to  inspire  singular  confidence  in  the  survey  of  Montresor. 
Indeed,  the  correspondence  is  remarkable.  Is  it  to  be  sup- 
posed that  Lieutenant  Page  would  be  less  careful  in  delineat- 
ing the  location  of  the  redoubt,  or  of  the  breastwork,  or  of 
the  rail  fence,  than  Montresor  had  been  in  measuring  the 
ground  ?  Was  not  his  reputation  at  stake  ?  Is  it  possible 
that  he  could  have  been  so  derelict  to  his  own  honor  as  to 
have  delineated,  for  the  redoubt  which  he  aided  to  storm,  a 
fortification  thrown  up  by  the  British  ? 

Because  these  questions  must  be  answered  in  the  negative, 
I  am  confident  there  is  no  difficulty  in  locating  exactly  the 
lines  of  the  redoubt,  the  breastwork,  and  the  rail  fence.  It 
is  only  necessary  to  compare  contemporary  accounts  with  the 
accurate  survey  of  Montresor,  and  the  plan  of  Page,  and 
mark  out  the  result  on  the  ground. 

The  authorities  agree  substantially  in  their  description  of 
the  redoubt,  marked  out  on  the  night  of  the  16th  of  June, 
by  Colonel  Richard  Gridley.  The  committee  of  safety,  in 
a  narrative  drawn  up  by  Rev.  Peter  Thacher,  from  infor- 
mation communicated  by  Colonel  Prescott  and  others  in  the 
battle,  term  it  "  a  small  redoubt  about  eight  rods  square." 
Rev.  John  Martin  was  in  the  battle,  and  he  states  that  it 
was  "  ten  rods  long  and  eight  rods  wide."  The  account 
in  "  Rivington's  Gazette,"  a  Tory  paper,  says  (Aug.  3, 
1775)  "  that  it  was  seven  or  eight  rods  square."  The 
front,  or  south  side,  faced  the  settled  portion  of  the  town, 
and  had  projecting  angles ;  the  north  side  had  a  sally-port, 


BATTLE-FIELD    OF   BUNKER   HILL.  9 

protected  by  a  blind.  This  is  laid  down  by  Page  and  Ber- 
niere. 

This  work  was  unfinished  when  the  beautiful  morning  of 
the  17th  of  June  dawned.  The  British  ship  "  Preston " 
was  moored  in  Charles  River,  and  her  log-book  says  of 
the  weather  at  4  a.m.,  "  Light  airs  and  calm."  It  has  the 
same  record  at  12  M.  It  says  also :  "  At  four,  we  observed 
the  rebels  were  entrenching  upon  a  hill  which  commanded 
Boston."  Then  a  cannonade  began  which,  with  intervals, 
continued  during  the  forenoon.  Colonel  Prescott  says :  "  I 
found  it  necessary  to  draw  a  line  about  twenty  rods  in  length 
from  the  fort  northerly."  He  here  threw  up  earth-works. 
The  committee  of  safety  describe  this  line  as  "  a  small  breast- 
work extending  from  the  north  side  of  the  redoubt  to  the 
bottom  of  the  hill"  ;  or  to  the  low,  sloughy  land.  This  was 
about  300  feet.  The  direction  of  this  line  of  defence  is  laid 
down  by  Page  and  by  Berniere.  Page,  being  the  most  accu- 
rate, is  relied  on  as  to  the  site. 

There  are  references  to  a  slight  defence  along  a  cartway  on 
the  south  side,  or  the  right  of  the  redoubt;  and,  on  Ber- 
niere's  plan,  to  a  barn,  the  fire  from  Avhich  was  silenced  by  a 
portion  of  the  47th  regiment. 

Such  were  the  American  entrenchments  at  about  one 
o'clock.  Then  the  king's  troops  lauded  in  splendid  order  at 
Moulton's  Point,  behind  Moulton's  Hill,  and  there  formed  in 
three  columns.  Colonel  Prescott,  seeing  these  movements 
"  on  the  north-easterly  point  from  the  fort,"  says,  Aug.  25, 
1775:  "I  ordered  the  train,  with  two  field-pieces,  to  go  and 
oppose  them,  and  the  Connecticut  forces  to  support  them." 
He  does  not  say  that  he  ordered  a  line  of  defence  to  be  com- 
menced at  the  base  of  Bunker  Hill.  Captain  John  Chester, 
July  22,1775,  however,  says :  "  They,"  the  British,  "  were 
very  near  Mystic  River,  and,  by  their  movements,  had  deter- 
mined to  outflank  our  men,  and  surround  them  and  the  fort. 
But  our  officers  in  command,  soon  perceiving  their  intention, 
ordered  a  large  party  of  men  (chiefly  Connecticut)  to  leave 
the  fort,  and  march  down  and  oppose  the  enenvy's  right  wing. 
This  they  did  ;  and  had  time  to  form  somewhat  regularly  be- 
hind a  fence,  half  of  stone  and  two  rayles  of  wood.  Here 
Nature  had  formed  something  of  a  breastwork,  or  else  there 
had  been  a  ditch  many  years  agone.  They  grounded  arms, 
and  went  to  a  neighboring  parallel  fence,  and  brought  rayles 
and  made  a  slight  fortification  against  musket  ball."  The 
express,  dated  June  18,  1775,  printed  in  the  "  New  York 
Gazette,"   of  June  26,  has  this  relation :    "  The  provincial 

2 


10  BATTLE-FIELD   OF   BUNKER   HILL. 

Gentries  discovered  the  regulars  marching  upon  their  left 
wing.  Upon  notice  of  this  given  to  the  centry  of  the  Con- 
necticut forces  posted  on  that  wing,  Captain  Knowlton,  of 
Ashford,  with  400  of  the  said  forces,  immediately  repaired  to 
and  pulled  up  a  post  and  rail  fence,  and,  carrying  the  post  and 
rails  to  another  fence,  put  them  together  for  a  breastwork." 
While  Captain  Knowlton  was  doing  this,  between  two  and 
three  o'clock,  Colonels  Stark  and  Reed  reached  the  field. 
Stark  posted  his  forces  on  the  left  of  Knowlton,  extending 
this  line  of  defence  to  and  on  the  beach,  throwing  up  there  a 
wall  of  stones.  Reed  posted  his  men  between  Knowlton  and 
Stark.  Of  this  "  Hampshire  force,"  Colonel  Prescott  savs 
that  it  "  lined  a  fence  at  the  distance  of  three-score  rods  back 
of  the  fort,  partly  to  the  north."  According  to  the  plan  of 
Page,  this  line  would  run  through  the  present  burial-ground 
and  the  piece  of  land  on  which  the  Prescott  school-house 
stands.  As  to  the  location  of  this  line,  in  general  terms,  the 
plan  of  Berniere  and  the  language  of  Prescott  agree  with  the 
line  of  Page.  The  most  reliable  authorities  also  agree  in 
ascribing  the  credit  of  beginning  this  line  to  Captain  Knowl- 
ton, who  was  a  born  soldier.  It  was,  according  to  Page, 
about  nine  hundred  feet  in  length. 

Knowlton,  Stark,  and  Reed  were,  at  the  least,  an  hour  in 
making  this  rail  and  hay  protection.  General  Howe  and  his 
command  were  behind  Moulton  Hill ;  and,  with  his  glass,  he 
might  have  seen  the  beginning  and  the  progress  of  this 
defence.  He  might  have  driven  off  the  troops  who  were 
doing  this.  He  might  have  applied  for  a  gunboat  or  for  a 
frigate  to  move  up  the  Mystic,  and  their  guns  could  have 
enfiladed  this  line.  But  General  Howe  did  nothing  to  inter- 
rupt this  work.  No  gunboat  moved  up  Mystic  River  until 
after  the  battle  was  over. 

Thus  the  Americans  were  left  undisturbed  in  this  line  of 
defence,  against  which  the  flower  of  the  British  army  were 
led.  This  consisted  of  the  battalion  of  Grenadiers  and  the 
battalion  of  Light  Infantry.  It  was  a  custom  to  select  from 
each  regiment  the  tallest  and  finest-looking  men  to  form  a 
company.  They  were  called  Grenadiers.  They  occupied  the 
right  of  the  battalion  when  in  line,  and  led  in  attack.  They 
were  distinguished  by  a  high  cap,  and  other  peculiarities  in 
dress.  In  this  way,  the  Light  Infantry  companies  also  were 
composed.  On  the  2d  of  June,  "  the  Grenadiers  and  Light 
Infantry  of  the  different  corps"  were  ordered  "  to  encamp 
immediately  on  the  Common  "  ;  and,  on  the  15th,  the  regi- 
ments who  had  not  completed  their  Grenadiers  and  Light 


BATTLE-FIELD   OF   BUNKER   HILL.  11 

Infantry  companies  with  officers  were  ordered  to  do  it  im- 
mediately. Hence  several  of  the  regiments  —  among  them 
the  23d,  or  Welsh  Fusileers  —  had  only  their  Grenadiers,  or 
Light  Infantry  Companies,  in  the  battle. 

.At  about  three  o'clock,  the  British  columns  moved  forward 
to  attack  the  entrenchments,  —  the  Grenadiers  and  Light  In- 
fantry, under  General  Howe,  along  the  high  ground  by  the 
Mystic  towards  the  rail  fence  ;  and  another  division,  under 
General  Pigot,  on  the  south-eastern  side,  up  the  hill  towards 
the  redoubt  and  breastwork.  "  The  provincials,"  Jefferson, 
then  in  Congress,  wrote,  July  5,  1775,  "  sustained  two  at- 
tacks in  their  trenches,  and  twice  repulsed  the  ministerial 
forces  with  immense  slaughter.  The  third  attack  .  .  .  the 
provincials  gave  ground."  The  evidence  as  to  the  simulta- 
neous character  of  the  main  movements  on  the  redoubt  and 
the  rail  fence,  both  American  and  British,  is  clear  and  con- 
clusive. Thus,  John  Burnham  says :  "  Troops  at  the  rail 
fence  did  not  fire  until  after  the  fire  began  at  the  fort."  E. 
Bancroft  says :  "  There  was  about  four  minutes  firing  in  the 
redoubt  before  opening  from  the  rail  fence."  The  Prescott 
MS.  (Butler's  History  of  Groton,  p.  339,  by  the  family, 
from  information  from  Colonel  Prescott)  says:  "  The  British 
were  twice  repulsed  with  great  loss  from  the  redoubt  and 
from  the  fence.  .  .  .  They  made  a  third  attack,  with  great 
spirit,  on  the  redoubt  and  at  the  fence.  The  redoubt  was 
entered  on  the  southern  or  south-eastern  side,  and  at  the  same 
time  the  enemy  advanced  between  the  breastwork  and  the 
rail  fence,  to  the  rear  of  the  redoubt."  Judge  Prescott 
writes  of  the  third  attack :  "  The  artillery  was  directed  to 
the  opening  between  the  breastwork  and  the  rail  fence  ;  and, 
from  the  position  they  took,  they  raked  the  breastwork,  drove 
the  men  into  the  redoubt,  and  did  much  execution  within  it. 
The  Grenadiers  and  Infantry  advanced,  under  the  command 
of  Generals  Howe,  Clinton,  and  Pigot,  upon  the  southern  and 
eastern  side  of  the  redoubt,  making  their  attack  on  three 
sides  of  it  at  the  same  time."  Stedman  (British),  in  his 
" History  of  the  War"  (Vol.  I.,  129),  says:  " Another  error 
certainly  was,  that,  instead  of  confining  our  attack  to  the 
left  wing  only  (the  rail  fence),  the  assault  was  made  on  the 
whole  front.  Their  left  was  covered  with  nothing  more  than 
a  breastwork  of  rails  and  hay,  easy  to  be  scrambled  over;  and 
behind  it  was  an  open  hill  which  commanded  their  redoubt 
and  lines." 

The  closing  scene  between  four  and  five  o'clock  is  sketched 
in  a  joint  letter  written  by  two  excellent  Connecticut  officers, 


12  BATTLE-FIELD   OF   BUNKER   HILL. 

Captain  John  Chester  and  Lieutenant  Samuel  B.  Webb. 
This  is  dated  "Cambridge,  June  19,  1775.  Monday  morn- 
ing, nine  o'clock."  They  were  in  the  same  company  which 
they  led  from  Cambridge.  They  reached  the  line  of  the  rail 
fence  on  the  third  attack  of  the  British.  They  say :  "  On 
our  march  down,  we  met  many  of  our  worthy  friends, 
wounded,  sweltering  in  their  blood,  carried  on  the  shoulders 
by  their  fellow-soldiers.  Judge  you  what  must  be  our  feel- 
ings at  this  shocking  spectacle;  the  orders  were,  ' press  on, 
press  on,  our  brethren  are  suffering,  and  will  be  cut  off.'  We 
pushed  on,  and  came  into  the  field  of  battle,  thro'  the  can- 
nonading of  the  ships,  —  bombs,  chain-shot,  ring-shot,  and 
double-headed  shot  flew  as  thick  as  hailstones,  but  thank 
Heaven  few  of  our  men  suffered  by  them  ;  but  when  we 
mounted  the  summit,  where  the  engagement  was,  —  Good 
God,  how  the  balls  flew !  I  freely  acknowledge  I  never  had 
such  a  tremor  come  over  me  before.  We  descended  the  hill 
(Bunker  Hill)  into  the  field  of  battle,  and  began  our  fire  very 
briskly  ;  the  regulars  fell  in  great  plenty ;  but,  to  do  them 
justice,  they  kept  a  grand  front,  and  stood  their  ground  nobly. 
Twice  before  this  time  they  gave  way,  but  not  long  before  we 
saw  numbers  mounting  the  walls  of  our  fort,  —  on  which  our 
men  in  the  fort  were  ordered  to  fire,  and  make  a  swift  re- 
treat. We  covered  their  retreat  till  they  came  up  with  us, 
by  a  brisk  fire  from  our  small-arms.  The  dead  and  wounded 
lay  on  every  side  of  me ;  their  groans  were  piercing,  indeed ; 
tho'  long  before  this  time,  I  believe,  the  fear  of  death  had 
quitted  almost  every  breast.  They  had  now  possession  of  our 
fort  and  four  field-pieces,  and  by  much  the  advantage  of  the 
ground."  (Siege  of  Boston,  fourth  edition,  pp.  415,  416.) 
Captain  Chester,  in  a  subsequent  letter  (Siege  of  Boston,  391), 
is  more  definite  as  to  the  place  where  they  fought,  and  the 
manner  of  fighting.  He  says  :  "  July  22,  1775.  We  joined 
our  army  on  the  right  of  the  centre,  just  by  a  poor  stone  fence, 
two  or  three  feet  high  and  very  thin,  so  that  the  bullets  came 
through.  Here  we  lost  our  regularity,  as  every  company  had 
done  before  us,  and  fought  as  they  did,  every  man  loading 
and  firing  as  fast  as  he  could." 

The  provincials  retreated  over  Bunker  Hill  by  the  "Nar- 
row Pass  "  to  the  main  land.  The  British  advanced  to  this 
hill,  and  from  it  cannonaded  the  provincials.  At  five  o'clock 
General  Howe  was  in  full  possession  of  the  peninsula. 

The  British  general  immediately  made  use  of  the  redoubt. 
This  is  seen  by  the  orders  issued  from  time  to  time  in  ref- 
erence to  it.     They  are  found  in  Adjutant  Waller's  Orderly 


BATTLE-FIELD   OF  BUNKER  HILL.  13 

Book,*  kept  during  the  summer  on  "  Charlestown  Heights." 
Thus,  on  the  19th  of  June,  sentries  were  posted  "  in  the  re- 
doubt lately  stormed  by  the  troops"  ;  on  the  20th,  the  redoubt 
was  ordered  "  to  be  cleaned  out,  and  a  shed  erected  for  shel- 
tering the  guard  placed  there  "  ;  on  the  21st,  the  posts  and 
rails  were  ordered  "  to  be  carried  into  the  redoubt  and  piled 
up  in  order  "  ;  on  the  23d  of  June,  it  was  ordered  that  the 
guard  of  the  stormed  redoubt  should,  for  the  future,  consist 
only  of  a  corporal  and  six  men  ;  on  the  2d  of  July,  there 
were  directions  about  firing  "  three  cannon  from  the  stormed 
redoubt"  ;  on  the  5th  of  August,  all  the  working  tools  were 
ordered  "  to  be  lodged  in  the  rebel  redoubt "  ;  on  the  4th  of 
September,  the  alarm  guns  were  removed  "  from  the  rebel 
redoubt"  ;  and  on  the  26th  of  October  is  this  order:  "  The 
45th  and  2d  Light  Infantry  will  garrison  the  rebel  redoubt." 
Thus  the  redoubt  was  constantly  used  by  the  British  army 
during  the  summer,  and  then  was  garrisoned  for  the  winter  ; 
and  Lieutenant  Page,  as  has  been  imagined  and  asserted, 
could  not  have  delineated  on  Montresor's  accurate  ground- 
plan  a  fortification  of  magnitude  and  form  which  the  British 
constructed  on  the  site  of  the  redoubt,  and  named  it  "  War- 
ren's Redoubt."  There  was  no  such  fortification  built  when 
he  was  here.  Beyond  a  doubt,  he  placed  on  his  map  the 
work  planned  by  Gridley,  the  breastwork  drawn  by  Prescott, 
and  the  line  of  rail  fence  begun  by  Knowlton. 

The  authorities  which  determine  these  renowned  localities 
are  as  exact  and  satisfactory  as  the  contemporary  descriptions 
of  them  are  clear  and  definite.  They  were  not  made  to 
sustain  a  fanciful  theory  of  the  battle,  nor  in  aid  of  the 
claims  set  up  for  a  commander;  but  they  were  made  in 
the  sole  interest  of  truth.  They  are  historical  evidence  of 
the  highest  order.  It  is  not  too  severe  to  characterize  it 
as  a  piece  of  presumption  for  any  one  to  write  of  this  battle 
and  neglect,  much  less  to  ignore,  such  a  line  of  authority. 

Besides  the  plans  I  have  commented  on,  there  are  on  this 
frame  copies  of  all  the  pictures  of  the  battle  I  know  of  — 

*  This  is  a  manuscript  in  the  possession  of  the  Society.  It  is  bound  in  parch- 
ment. It  has  on  its  covers  "  Theodore  I) wight,  Jr.,  New  York.  This  book  was 
found  in  an  old  house  in  the  city,  after  having  remained  packed  away  for  many 
years. — T.  J).,  Jr."  On  the  last  cover  is  :  "  T.  Dwight,  Jr.,  Oct.  18,  1828."  On 
the  fly  leaf  is  the  following  :  "  Lieutenant  and  Adjutant  Waller's  Orderly  Book, 
commencing  at  Boston  the  twenty-second  day  of  May,  and  ending  the  twenty- 
sixth  day  of  January,  1776."  The  head  line  over  the  order  of  May  22,  1775,  is  : 
"General  Gage's  and  Major  Pitcairne's  Orders,  Boston  Camp,  1775,  May  22." 
The  head  line  of  the  first  order  after  the  battle  is  :  "  June  18,  Charlestown  Hill. 
General  Howe's  Orders."  The  citations  in  the  text  are  from  this  authority. 
Some  of  them  may  be  found  in  the  "  Siege  of  Boston,"  p.  331. 


14  BATTLE-FIELD   OF   BUNKER   HILL. 

from  the  crudest  of  those  of  1775,  to  the  artistic  produc- 
tions of  Trumbull  and  of  Carter;  also,  all  the  maps  of 
Boston  and  its  environs,  in  1775  and  1776.  The  one  in 
French  has  the  earliest  engraving  of  the  pine-tree  flag  I 
have  met.  But  I  will  detain  the  Society  only  by  remarks  on 
a  copy  of  the  original  engraving  of  a  picture  entitled :  "  An 
exact  view  of  the  late  battle  at  Charlestown,  June  17,  1775. 
In  which  an  advanced  party  of  about  700  Provincials  stood 
an  attack  made  by  eleven  regiments  and  a  train  of  artillery, 
and,  after  an  engagement  of  two  hours,  retreated  to  their 
main  body  at  Cambridge,  leaving  eleven  hundred  of  the  enemy 
killed  and  wounded  on  the  field."  This  has  the  following  : 
"  B  :  Romans  in  iEre  incidet."  It  was  published  on  a  sheet 
in  1775.     It  is  twenty  inches  by  twelve  in  size. 

The  right  of  the  picture  is  well  filled  to  its  whole  height 
with  a  representation  of  a  large  tree  then  growing  in  Charles- 
town.  One  of  the  original  maps  of  Boston  and  environs  on 
the  frame  is  from  the  "  American  Neptune,"  which  I  lent  to 
the  late  Nathaniel  B.  Shurtleff,  M.  I).  He  had  engraved  from 
this  the  map  in  his  "  Topographical  and  Historical  Descrip- 
tion of  Boston,"  and  the  large  chart  of  the  harbor.  Its  title 
is,  "A  Chart  of  the  Harbor  of  Boston,  composed  from  different 
surveys,  but  principally  from  that  taken  in  1769,  by  Mr. 
George  Callender,  late  master  of  His  Majesty's  ship  4  Rom- 
ney.' ':  This  chart  has  on  it :  "  Published  according  to  act  of 
Parliament,  by  J.  P.  W.  De  Barres,  Esq.,  August  5,  1775." 
It  has  delineated  on  it  the  military  works  around  Boston. 
In  the  directions  for  sailing  from  Spectacle  Island  up  the 
harbor,  it  has  this  :  "  Keep  a  remarkable  large  tree  in  Charles- 
town,"  &c.  This  shows  that  the  artist  of  the  battle  did  full 
justice  to  this  feature  of  the  town,  however  he  may  have  done 
with  perspective. 

The  "  Pennsylvania  Magazine,"  for  September,  has  a  pic- 
ture evidently  the  same  as  Romans,  with  the  following  title : 
"A  Correct  View  of  the  late  Battle  in  Charlestown,  June  17, 
1775."  It  was  engraved  for  this  magazine  by  "Aitkin,  Sculp." 
It  is  much  smaller.  There  is  no  acknowledgment  or  descrip- 
tion in  the  text. 

The  place  where  Warren  fell  can  be  ascertained  from  a 
map  of  Charlestown,  made  in  1818,  by  Peter  Tufts,  —  the 
earliest  I  know  of.  It  is  on  this  frame.  It  has  the  first  monu- 
ment, built  by  King  Solomon's  Lodge,  in  memory  of  Warren 
and  his  associates,  and  dedicated  in  1794.  ,  The  address  on 
that  occasion  was  delivered  by  John  Soley,  Esq.  I  talked 
much  with  him  on  the  battle.     He  informed  me  that  it  was 


BATTLE-FIELD   OF   BUNKER   HILL. 


15 


the  design  to  place  the  monument  on  the  place  where  Warren 
fell.  To  determine  this  there  was  a  meeting  of  the  survivors 
of  the  battle  on  the  ground,  who  fixed  on  the  spot  where  the 
monument  stood.  It  Avas  a  few  rods  west  of  the  present 
monument,  outside  of  the  enclosure,  and  in  Concord  Street. 
It  was  a  Tuscan  pillar,  built  of  wood,  eighteen  feet  high, 
raised  on  a  brick  pedestal  eight  feet  square,  and  rising  ten 
feet  from  the  ground.  The  pillar  terminated  in  a  gilt  urn, 
bearing  the  inscription  "J.  W.,  aged  35,"  —  entwined  with 
masonic  emblems.  The  appearance  of  this  monument  and 
the  ground  is  represented  in  the  following  engraving  from 
the  "  Analectic  Magazine,"  for  March,  1818,  where  it  is  said 
that  "  it  was  taken  on  Breed's  Hill,  and  may  be  depended 
upon  for  its  accuracy." 


By  far  the  most  interesting  event  connected  with  this 
monument  was  the  reception  here  of  "The  Nation's  Guest," 
General  Lafa}Tette,  in  1824,  in  the  presence  of  the  municipal 
authorities,  the  military,  and  a  great  concourse  of  citizens. 
Among  these  were  veterans  of  the  Revolution,  survivors  of 
the  battle,  —  such  as  Brooks,  Dearborn,  and  the  then  Gov- 
ernor, Eustis.  In  such  presence,  Dr.  Abraham  R.  Thompson 
made  the  following  noble  address  to  Lafayette :  — 

Sir,  —  In  behalf  of  the  inhabitants  of  Charlestown,  the  Committee 
of  Arrangements  present  their  respectful  salutations  to  General  Lafay- 


16  BATTLE-FIELD    OF   BUNKER   HILL. 

ette,  and  bid  him  a  cordial  welcome  to  this  town.  This  joyful  occa- 
sion revives  high  national  feelings  and  recollections,  and  touches  the 
springs  of  gratitude  by  reminding  us  of  that  interesting  period  of  our 
history  which  gave  to  our  country  a  gallant  hero,  and  to  the  rights  of 
mankind  a  steadfast  champion.  While  we  participate  in  the  thrill  of 
delight  which  everywhere  hails  the  visit  of  our  illustrious  friend,  we 
cannot  suppress  the  peculiar  emotion  of  our  hearts  on  receiving  you, 
Sir,  on  the  memorable  heights  of  Bunker ;  on  this  holy  ground,  im- 
mortalized by  the  deeds,  and  sacred  to  the  manes  of  Revolutionary 
Heroes.  Over  these  heights  Liberty  once  moved  in  blood  and  tears; 
her  chariot  on  wheels  of  fire.  Now  she  comes  in  her  car  of  peace  and 
glory,  drawn  by  the  affections  of  a  happy  people,  to  crown  on  these 
same  heights,  with  civic  honors,  a  favorite  son,  whose  early  strength 
was  given  to  her  sacred  struggles,  and  whose  riper  years  are  now 
permitted  to  behold  the  splendor  of  her  triumphs.  In  the  fulness  of 
our  hearts  we  give  thanks  to  Almighty  God  who  has  guided  and 
guarded  your  high  career  of  peril  and  renown. 

Permit  us,  beloved  General,  again  to  welcome  you  to  our  bosoms, 
to  express  our  ardent  hopes  that  your  valuable  life  may  be  prolonged 
to  the  utmost  limits  of  earthly  happiness  ;  that  the  land  which  has  been 
enriched  with  the  dew  of  your  youth  may  be  honored  as  the  asylum  of 
your  old  age  ;  that  the  country  which  now  blends  your  fame  with  the 
mild  lustre  of  Washington  may  henceforth  hail  you  as  a  citizen  of 
Washington's  country  ;  and  that,  during  the  residue  of  your  years,  you 
may  live  amidst  the  attentions,  as  you  forever  live  in  the  hearts,  of  a 
grateful  and  admiring  people. 

Lafayette  —  his  secretary,  M.  Lavasseur,  says  — "  was 
much  moved  by  this  address,  and  his  emotion  was  communi- 
cated to  the  bystanders."     He  replied  :  — 

With  profound  reverence,  Sir,  I  tread  this  sacred  ground,  where  the 
blood  of  American  patriots,  the  blood  of"  Warren  and  his  companions, 
early  and  gloriously  spilled,  roused  the  energies  of  three  millions,  has 
now  insured  the  happiness  of  ten  millions,  and  many  other  millions  of 
men  to  come.  It  has  called  both  American  continents  to  Republican 
independence,  and  has  awakened  the  nations  of  Europe  to  a  sense,  and 
in  future,  I  hope,  to  the  practice,  of  their  rights.  Such  have  been  the 
effects  of  a  resistance  to  oppression,  which  was,  by  many  pretended 
wise  men  of  the  times,  called  rashness,  while  it  was  duty,  virtue ;  and 
has  been  a  signal  for  the  emancipation  of  mankind. 

I  beg  you,  Sir,  and  the  corporation  and  citizens  of  Charlestown,  to 
accept  the  homage  of  my  gratitude  for  your  kind  welcome,  and  for  the 
old  sentiments  of  affection  and  respect  which  for  so  many  years  I  have 
entertained  towards  this  town. 

This  pregnant  answer  "  was  received,"  Lafayette's  secre- 
tary says,  ct  by  the  acclamations  of  the  multitude  and  the 
roar  of  artillery."     The  original  manuscript  of  this  reply  was 


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BATTLE-FIELD    OF   BUNKER   HILL.  17 

presented  to  Dr.  Thompson  by  our  late  associate,  the  Hon. 
Edward  Everett,  with  the  following  interesting  letter :  — 

Edward  Everett  to  Abraham  H.    Thompson. 

Winter-Hill,  Charlestown. 
29th  August,  182(5. 

My  dear  Sir, —  On  the  day  of  the  reception  of  Lafayette  on 
Bunker's  Hill,  I  had  the  honor  to  meet  him  at  dinner  at  Governor 
Eu-tis's,  in  company  with  a  very  large  party.  Being  very  near  the 
General,  he  entered  into  conversation  with  me  on  the  subject  of  his 
visit  to  Bunker's  Hill,  and  expressed  himself  much  affected  and  de- 
lighted with  his  reception  on  that  ever  memorable  spot.  On  my  allud- 
ing to  the  gratification  felt  by  the  citizens  at  seeing  and  hearing  him 
on  that  spot,  he  expressed  an  anxiety  that  what  he  had  said  in  reply  to 
your  impressive  address  might  be  published  correctly  in  the  news- 
papers. I  observed  to  him,  that  the  best  way  to  effect  this  object 
would  be  for  him  to  commit  to  writing,  from  recollection,  the  substance 
of  what  he  had  said,  and  that  I  would  take  care  that  it  was  correctly 
printed.  He  was  pleased  with  this  suggestion,  though  there  seemed  to 
be  no  chance  to  carry  it  into  execution,  for  he  was  not  left  alone  a 
moment ;  and  when  he  left  the  Governor's,  where  a  party  of  eighty 
gentlemen  were  paying  him  assiduous  attentions,  he  was  to  go  to  a  large 
party  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  at  Mr.  Sears's,  in  Boston,  in  the  evening. 
He  said,  however,  that  he  was  determined,  if  possible,  to  steal  aside  for 
a  moment  for  this  object.  In  the  evening,  I  met  him  at  Mr.  Sears's,  and 
asked  him  if  he  had  succeeded.  He  took  from  his  pocket  the  paper 
accompanying  this  letter,  and  then  containing  only  what  is  written  in  ink. 
"  This,"  said  he,  u  is  all  they  gave  me  time  to  write  at  the  Governor's,  but 
it  wants  another  sentence."  Desirous  to  get  from  him  the  whole  of  this 
interesting  reply,  I  urged  him  to  finish  it,  with  his  pencil,  on  the  spot. 
He  was  then  surrounded  by  ladies  and  gentlemen  pressing  forward  to  be 
introduced  to  him,  but  said  that,  if  I  would  make  his  apology,  he  would 
turn  his  back  on  the  company  and  write  the  concluding  sentence.  This 
he  did,  in  pencil,  and  from  this  memorandum  his  reply  wras  printed  in 
the  papers  ;  with  one  or  two  verbal  changes,  which  the  General  de- 
sired to  have  made,  to  put  it  into  the  English  idiom  which,  after  forty 
years'  disuse  of  our  language,  had  partly  escaped  him. 

The  distinguished  part,  dear  Sir,  which  you  took  on  the  interesting 
occasion  of  the  reception  of  "  The  Nation's  Guest "  on  the  sacred  soil 
of  Bunker's  Hill,  entitles  you  to  this  little  memorial  of  the  man  and  of 
the  day,  which  I  beg  you  to  receive  also  as  a  small  token  of  the  sincere 
respect  of 

Your  faithful  and  obliged  friend, 

Edward  Everett. 
Abraham  R.  Thompson7,  M.  D. 

I  shall  have  the  pleasure  to  invite  you  to  repair  to  the  site 
of  the  redoubt,  to  that  of  the  breast  work,  and  to  the  line  of 
the  rail-fence  protection,  which  I  have  had  indicated  on  the 

3 


18  BATTLE-FIELD   OF  BUNKER   HILL. 

ground,  by  engineers,  according  to  the  accurate  plan  of  Lieu- 
tenant Page ;  and  after  the  inspection  of  these  I  hope  }^ou 
will  all  return  here.  I  now  beg  to  submit,  Avithout  reading, 
a  few  contributions  to  the  history  of  the  battle,  —  American 
and  British,  —  to  be  published  with  the  proceedings  of  this 
meeting,  if  they  shall  be  deemed  appropriate. 

The  foremost  contribution,  in  every  respect,  is  Judge  "Wil- 
liam Prescott's  —  the  son  of  Colonel  Prescott  —  account  of 
the  battle.  It  is  the  great  character  behind  it  that  makes  this 
manns3ript  a  high  authority.  It  is  a  careful  copy  of  a  paper, 
in  his  handwriting,  which  he  presented  to  our  late  illustrious 
associate,  Jared  Sparks ;  who,  with  a  generosity  that  was 
characteristic,  gave  me  permission  to  take  a  copy.  This 
was  done  Jan.  28,  1848.  It  has  not  been  printed.  It  is 
quite  different  from  what,  in  a  late  account  of  the  battle, 
is  called  "  The  Prescott  Manuscript."  This,  written  by  mem- 
bers of  the  family,  may  be  found  in  Butler's  History  of 
Groton,  p.  330.  Accompanying  the  present  account,  is  an 
important  letter  written  by  Judge  Prescott  to  Colonel  Samuel 
Swett,  in  1838,  on  the  question  of  command. 

[The  papers  submitted  by  Mr.  Frothingham  are  here 
printed.] 

Judge  Prescott 's  Account  of  the  Battle  of  Bunker  Hill. 

On  the  lGth  of  June,  1775,  the  commander-in-chief,  General  Ward, 
placed  under  the  command  of  Colonel  William  Prescott,  of  Peppereli, 
an  officer  who  had  distinguished  himself  in  the  war  of  1756,  three  Mas- 
sachusetts regiments*  and  a  company  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  men 
from  Connecticut,  commanded  by  Captain  Knowlton,  a  brave  officer  who 
afterward  fell  in  the  service,  with  written  orders  to  proceed  that  night 
to  Bunker  Hill,  and  build  such  fortifications  as  he  and  Colonel  Gridley, 
an  experienced  and  scientific  engineer  appointed  to  accompany  him, 
should  judge  best  adapted  to  its  defence,  and  as  could  be  put  in  a  con- 
dition to  protect  his  men  the  next  morning,  —  the  detachment  not  to 
move  till  evening,  and  the  orders  not  to  be  communicated  before  they 
had  passed  Charlestown  Neck. 

The  detachment  was  drawn  up  on  Cambridge  Common  a  little  after 
sunset,  when  a  fervent  and  impressive  prayer,  it  was  said,  was  made 
by  Dr.  Langdon,  President  of  Harvard  College  ;  and  as  soon  as  day- 
light was  gone,  about  nine  o'clock,  it  marched  from  the  Common  under 
the  command  of  Colonel  Prescott,  who,  after  passing  the  Neck,  called 
Colonel  Gridley  and  the  field  officers  around  him,  communicated  his 
orders,  and  consulted  them  as  to  the  plan  intended  for  the  fortification. 


*  Colonel  Prescott's  own,  Colonel  Frye's,  and  Colonel  Bridge's  regiments, 
and  Captain  Knovvlton's  company, — in  all  about  one  thousand  men. 


BATTLE-FIELD    OF   BUNKER    HILL. 


19 


Bunker  Hill  was  named  in  the  orders,  but  the  whole  height,  it  is  paid, 
was  at  that  time  often  called  by  that  general  name,  although  the  southern 
part  was  known  by  the  neighbors  [as],  and  more  properly  called  Breed's 
Hill.  After  some  discussion  the  southern  part,  now  known  as  Breed's 
Hill,  was  determined  on.  It  was  thought  to  be  the  place  intended,  as 
well  as  the  best  position.  The  consultation  caused  a  delay  of  about 
half  an  hour.  Colonel  Prescott  led  the  detachment  directly  to  Breed's 
Hill,  where  Colonel  Gridley  immediately  laid  out  a  redoubt  about  eight 
rods  square,  and  a  breastwork  extending  from  it  northerly  toward 
Mystic  River.  It  was  after  eleven  o'clock  when  they  commenced 
building  the  redoubt. 

Colonel  Prescott,  apprehensive  that  they  might  be  discovered  and 
attacked  by  the  enemy  in  the  night,  before  the  works  were  in  a  condi- 
tion to  cover  his  men,  accompanied  an  officer  two  or  three  times  to  the 
margin  of  the  river,  to  satisfy  himself  that  they  had  not  been  discov- 
ered, and  was  delighted  to  hear  ''All  is  well"  drowsily  repeated  by 
the  watch  on  board  the  king's  ships.  Daylight  made  the  discovery. 
A  heavy  cannonade  then  commenced  from  Copp's  Hill  and  the  ships  in 
Charles  River,  which  much  annoyed  them,  but  did  not  materially  retard 
their  work.  By  nine  o'clock,  it  became  evident  the  enemy  were  pre- 
paring to  cross  the  river,  and  attack  the  redoubt.  The  officers  now 
came  to  Colonel  Prescott,  represented  that  their  men  had  brought  no 
provisions  with  them,  had  been  on  severe  fatigue  all  night,  and  were 
dissatisfied,  and  in  no  condition  for  action  ;  and  urged  him  to  send  to 
the  commander-in-chief  and  request  him  to  relieve  them  according  to 
his  engagement,  or  at  least  to  send  a  reenforcement  and  provisions. 
The  colonel  at  once  told  them  he  would  never  consent  to  their  being 
relieved ;  the  fortifications  were  the  works  of  their  hands,  and  they 
should  have  the  honor  of  defending  them,  which  they  could  well  do 
without  any  assistance ;  but  he  would  send  for  reenforcements  and 
refreshments,  and  had  no  doubt  they  would  be  promptly  sent.  They 
were  satisfied.  He  accordingly  despatched  two  men  in  the  course  of 
the  forenoon  to  headquarters. —  the  last  Major,  afterwards  Governor, 
Brooks.  The  latter  procured  an  order  for  Colonels  Stark  and  Reed 
of  the  New  Hampshire  line  to  march  their  regiments  to  his  assistance. 
They  arrived  just  at  the  commencement  of  the  battle,  and  posted  their 
regiments  at  the  rail  fence,  on  the  left  of  the  redoubt,  where  they  were 
most  needed,  and  where  they  fought  with  great  spirit.  The  com- 
pany commanded  by  Captain  Knowlton  was  posted  at  the  southern 
part  of  the  rail  fence  (on  the  left)  next  to  the  breastwork,  and  the  three 
Massachusetts  regiments  in  the  redoubt  and  at  the  breastwork,  except- 
ing one  company  which  was  stationed  first  in  Charlestown,  and  after- 
wards at  a  rail  fence  south  of  the  redoubt.  This  company  retired  into 
the  redoubt  during  the  action.  No  provisions  were  received,  and^the 
works  were  left  to  the  defence  of  the  brave  men  who  built  them,  already 
exhausted  by  hunger  and  fatigue.  The  cannonade  was  a  severe  trial 
to  raw  soldiers  who  had  never  heard  the  sound  of  artillery,  and  unfor- 
tunately a  private  was  killed,  outside  of  the  works,  early  in  the  day.  To 
inspire  them  with  confidence,  Colonel  Prescott  himself  mounted  the 


20  BATTLE-FIELD   OF   BUNKER   HILL. 

parapet,  walked  leisurely  backwards  and  forwards,  examining  the  works 
and  giving  directions  to  the  officers  ;  and  one  of  his  captains,  under- 
standing his  motive,  did  the  same  thing  while  superintending  the  labors 
of  his  company.  It  had  the  effect  intended.  The  men  soon  became 
indifferent  to  the  fire  of  the  artillery,  which,  though  incessant,  did  but 
little  injury  to  them  or  the  works. 

The  first  detachment  of  the  British  landed  at  Morton's  Point,  in 
Charlestown,  about  noon,  under  General  Howe,  who,  observing  the 
numbers  on  Breed's  Hill,  and  advancing  to  it,  as  he  thought,  sent  to 
Governor  Gage  for  a  reinforcement,  which  arrived  a  little  after  the 
first  detachment,  probably  something  after  two  o'clock.  General 
Howe  had  the  command  of  the  whole ;  Brigadier-General  Pigot  was 
second  in  command.  The  action  commenced  between  two  and  three 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  The  day  was  clear  and  very  hot.  The 
British  advanced  in  two  divisions,  —  their  right  under  General  Howe 
against  the  rail  fence ;  and  the  left,  and  largest  division,  under  General 
Pigot,  against  the  redoubt. 

As  soon  as  Colonel  Prescott  perceived  that  the  enenvy  were  in 
motion,  he  went  round  the  works  to  encourage  and  animate  his  inex- 
perienced soldiers ;  assured  them  the  red  coats  would  never  reach  the 
redoubt  if  they  would  observe  his  directions,  —  withhold  their  fire  until 
he  gave  the  order,  take  good  aim,  and  be  particularly  careful  not  to 
shoot  over  their  heads  ;  aim  at  their  hips.  After  this  round,  he  took 
his  post  in  the  redoubt,  well  satisfied  his  men  would  do  their  duty.  A 
few  muskets  only  were  discharged  before  he  gave  the  order.  The 
British  advanced  in  line  in  good  order,  rather  slowly,  but  with  a  confi- 
dent, imposing  air,  pausing  occasionally  on  their  march,  to  let  their 
artillery  prepare  the  way,  and  firing  as  they  advanced.  Colonel  Prescott 
waited  till  they  had  approached  within  eight  rods,  as  he  judged,  of  the 
redoubt,  and  then  gave  the  order  ^  to  fire."  There  was  a  simultaneous 
discharge  from  the  redoubt  and  breastwork,  and  nearly  the  whole  front 
rank  of  the  enemy  fell,  and  the  whole  body  was  brought  to  a  stand  for 
an  instant.  The  fire  was  continued  by  the  Americans  and  briskly 
returned  by  the  British  for  a  few  minutes,  and  then  they  retreated 
precipitately  to  the  foot  of  the  hill.  Colonel  Prescott  said  they  had 
commenced  firing  too  soon,  and  generally  fired  over  the  heads  of  his 
troops  ;  and,  as  they  were  partially  covered  by  the  works,  but  few 
were  killed  or  wounded.  The  right  of  the  British,  under  General 
Howe,  advanced  at  the  same  time  upon  the  Americans  posted  at  the 
rail  fence  and  on  the  beach,  who  received  them  with  equal  spirit,  and, 
by  their  deadly  fire,  compelled  them  also  to  retreat. 

Colonel  Prescott,  aware  that  the  attack  would  soon  be  renewed, 
availed  himself  of  this  interval  to  praise  and  congratulate  his  new 
soldiers  on  their  good  conduct  and  success,  and  to  inspire  them  with 
confidence  in  themselves,  and  renewed  his  caution  to  reserve  their  fire 
till  he  gave  the  command.  He  found  them  in  high  spirits,  elated  by 
the  retreat  of  the  enemy,  —  the  regulars  were  no  longer  invincible  in 
their  eyes.  The  British  were  soon  rallied,  and  again  gallantly  advanced 
to  the  assault,  in  the  same  order  as  before,  firing  as  they  approached 


BATTLE-FIELD    OF   BUNKER   HILL.  21 

within  musket  shot  of  the  works.  The  Americans  now  withheld  their 
fire  till  the  enemy  were  supposed  to  have  approached  within  five  or  six 
rods  of  the  redoubt,  and  then  the  order  was  given.  The  discharge  was 
simultaneous  the  whole  length  of  the  line,  and  although  more  destruc- 
tive, as  Colonel  Prescott  thought,  than  on  the  former  assault,  the  enemy 
stood  the  first  shock,  and  continued  to  advance  and  fire  with  great  spirit ; 
but,  before  reaching  the  redoubt,  the  continuous,  well-directed  fire  of 
the  Americans  compelled  them  to  give  way,  and  they  retreated  a  second 
time  in  greater  disorder  than  before.  Their  officers  were  seen  remon- 
strating, threatening,  and  even  pricking  and  striking  the  soldiers,  to 
urge  them  on,  but  in  vain.  Colonel  Prescott  spoke  of  it  as  a  continued 
stream  of  fire  from  his  whole  line,  from  the  first  discharge  until  the 
retreat.  The  ground  in  front  of  the  works  was  covered  with  the  dead 
and  wounded,  some  lying  within  a  few  yards.  The  right  wing  of  the 
British  was  again  repulsed  from  the  rail  fence,  and  with  great  slaughter. 
Nearly  the  whole  front  rank  was  swept  away  by  the  first  fire  of  the 
Americans,  so  that  General  Howe  was  seen  standing  almost  alone,  two 
of  his  aids  having  fallen  by  his  side,  if  my  recollection  serves  me.  This 
was  a  triumph,  and  was  felt  as  such  by  the  soldiers  ;  but  it  was  destined 
to  be  short-lived.  The  interval  was  now  longer,  and  Colonel  Prescott 
again  went  among  his  men,  encouraging  and  assuring  them  their  enemies 
could  never  be  rallied  again  if  they  were  once  more  driven  back.  They 
cheered  him  ;  said  they  were  ready  for  the  red  coats  again.  Not  a  man 
was  seen  to  shrink  from  his  duty,  although  the  scene  was  new  to  most 
of  them,  and  many  of  their  companions  were  lying  dead  around  them. 
Colonel  Prescott,  however,  foresaw  with  great  concern  that  their  ammu- 
nition must  be  nearly  exhausted,  and,  on  conferring  with  his  officers, 
found  his  worst  apprehensions  confirmed.  He  learned  from  them  that 
the  men  had  little,  almost  no,  ammunition  left,  and  he  knew  that  they 
were  destitute  of  bayonets.  A  few  artillery  cartridges  were  discovered, 
which  he  ordered  to  be  opened,  and  the  powder  distributed  among  the 
soldiers,  exhorting  them  not  to  waste  a  kernel  of  it,  but  to  make  it 
certain  that  every  shot  should  tell.  lie  had  sent  to  the  commander-in- 
chief  in  the  morning  for  ammunition,  but  it  was  not  in  the  arsenal. 
During  the  battle,  General  Howe  gave  orders  for  burning  Charlestowu, 
under  pretence  that  the  Americans  posted  there  fired  on  his  troops. 
This  wanton  outrage  irritated,  but  nothing  intimidated,  the  Americans, 
and  fortunately  the  wind  soon  after  shifted,  and  blew  the  smoke  from 
the  hills.  General  Howe,  exasperated  by  the  repeated  repulses  of  his 
troops,  now  determined  to  concentrate  his  forces  on  the  redoubt,  the 
principal  post,  and  carry  it  with  the  bayonet.  It  was  said  his  officers 
remonstrated  against  another  attempt,  as  a  useless  waste  of  life,  but  he 
would  not  listen  to  them.  However  this  may  be,  he  wisely  gave  orders 
for  the  troops  to  disencumber  themselves  of  their  knapsacks,  advance 
in  column,  and  enter  the  redoubt  with  fixed  bayonets,  without  firing  a 
gun.  General  Clinton,  observing  from  Copp's  Hill  the  former  repulse, 
had  come  over  as  a  volunteer,  and  arrived  just  in  season  to  render 
essential  service  in  rallying  and  leading  the  disheartened  troops  to  their 
last  desperate  assault.     They  were  soon  seen  moving  in  column  up  the 


22  BATTLE-FIELD    OF   BUNKER   HILL. 

hill,  the  officers  encouraging  and  forcing  them  on.  It  was  apparent 
that  they  did  not  move  with  the  same  confident  air  as  in  their  former 
attacks.  General  Howe  had  put  himself  at  their  head,  and  was  distin- 
guished, as  he  approached,  hy  his  figure  and  gallant  hearing.  The 
artillery  was  directed  to  the  opening  between  the  breastwork  and  the 
rail  fence,  and,  from  the  position  they  took,  they  raked  the  breastwork, 
drove  the  men  into  the  redoubt,  and  did  much  execution  within  it. 
The  grenadiers  and  infantry  advanced  under  the  command  of  Generals 
Howe,  Clinton,  and  Pigot  upon  the  southern  and  eastern  sides  of  the 
redoubt,  making  the  attack  on  three  sides  of  it  at  the  same  time.  A 
few  straggling  muskets  only  were  discharged  as  they  advanced.  The 
Americans  having,  some  only  one,  and  none  more  than  three  or  four, 
rounds  of  ammunition  were  now  directed  to  reserve  their  fire  till  the 
enemy  were  within  twenty  yards,  when  they  poured  on  them  a  deadly 
volley,  which  made  them  waver  for  an  instant,  and  then  they  sprang 
forward  without  returning  it.  The  fire  from  the  redoubts  was  continued 
for  a  few  minutes,  but  soon  slackened  for  want  of  ammunition,  and  the 
British  advanced  to  the  wall,  which  then  served  as  a  cover  to  the  front 
ranks  of  their  columns  against  the  fire  of  the  Americans.  Those  of  the 
latter  who  had  no  bayonets  were  ordered  to  retire  to  the  back  part  of 
the  redoubt,  and  fire  on  the  enemy  as  they  shew  themselves  on  the 
parapet.  The  redoubt  was  entered  at  the  southern  side  or  angle. 
The  first  officer  and  whole  front  rank  were  shot  down  as  they  mounted, 
among  them  the  gallant  Major  Pitcairn,  as  I  have  always  understood. 
By  this  time,  the  ammunition  of  the  Americans  was  wholly  exhausted. 
The  discovery  of  another  cannon  cartridge  furnished  powder  for  the 
last  muskets  that  were  fired.  The  Americans,  destitute  of  bayonets, 
had  nothing  but  the  butts  of  their  guns  to  resist  the  entrance  of  the 
enemy  with,  and  many  of  them  used  the  barrels  after  the  stocks  were 
broken.  The  British  had  entered  the  redoubt,  and  were  advancing, 
when  Colonel  Prescott  ordered  a  retreat.  He  was  among  the  last,  and 
before  leaving  it  was  surrounded  by  the  enemy  who  had  entered,  and 
had  several  passes  with  the  bayonet  made  at  his  body,  which  he  parried 
with  his  sword,  of  the  use  of  which  he  had  some  knowledge.  His 
banyan  and  waistcoat  were  pierced  in  several  places,  but  he  escaped 
unhurt.  The  men  retired  through  the  sallyport  in  the  rear,  and  some 
jumped  over  the  walls  ;  they  were  met,  and  many  killed  by  the  fire  of 
the  British,  who  came  round  the  angle  of  the  redoubts,  and  who  had 
turned  the  north-eastern  end  of  the  breastwork,  and  not  a  few,  in 
passing  the  neck,  by  cannon  and  grape  shot  from  the  ''Glasgow" 
and  floating  batteries  that  lay  in  Charles  liiver.  Here  the  brave 
McClary  fell.  There  was  no  order  in  the  retreat ;  every  one  saved 
himself  as  he  best  could,  after  leaving  the  works. 

Colonel  Prescott  always  thought  he  could  have  maintained  his  post 
with  the  handful  of  men  under  his  command,  exhausted  as  they  were 
by  fatigue  and  hunger,  if  they  had  been  supplied  with  sufficient  ammu- 
nition and  with  bayonets.  In  their  last  attack,  the  British  wavered 
under  the  first  fire  of  the  Americans,  and  if  it  could  have  been  contin- 
ued, he  felt  confident  they  would  have  been  repulsed,  and  would  never 
Lave  rallied  ajrain. 


BATTLE-FIELD   OF   BUNKER   HILL.  23 

Before  his  return  to  Cambridge,  Colonel  Prescott  repaired  to  head- 
quarters, reported  his  proceedings,  the  issue  of  the  battle,  which  was 
already  too  well  known,  and  received  the  thanks  of  the  commander-in- 
chief,  whom  he  found  under  great  apprehension  lest  the  enemy,  encour- 
aged by  success,  should  advance  on  Cambridge,  where  there  was  neither 
artillery,  ammunition,  nor  disciplined  troops  to  oppose  them.  Colonel 
Prescott  assured  him  the  enemy's  confidence  would  not  be  increased 
by  the  result  of  the  battle,  and  offered  to  retake  the  hill  that  night,  or 
perish  in  the  attempt,  if  he  would  give  him  fifteen  hundred  men,  three 
regiments,  well  equipped  with  ammunition  and  bayonets.  The  com- 
mander-in-chief thought,  and  probably  justly,  that  the  character  and 
condition  of  his  inexperienced  army  would  not  justify  so  bold  a  measure, 
and  it  may  be  doubted  if  so  many  bayonets  could  have  been  found.  It 
was,  however,  afterwards  seen  that  General  Howe's  reception  at  Bunker 
Hill  had  converted  a  bold  into  a  cautious  if  not  timid  officer,  during 
the  remainder  of  his  command. 

A  question  has  been  made  as  to  the  command  on  the  day  of  the 
battle.  In  a  regularly  organized  army,  this  question  could  never  have 
arisen,  but  in  this  case  the  orderly  book  of  the  commander-in-chief  is 
silent,  and  there  is  no  original  document  to  be  found  to  settle  it. 
Irregularities  were  to  be  expected  in  the  military  proceedings  of  an 
army  composed,  as  this  was,  of  new  levies,  or  rather  of  volunteers  from 
different  provinces.  The  commander-in-chief  had  no  authority  but 
what  he  derived  from  the  Congress  of  Massachusetts.  Contemporaneous 
history,  and  memoirs  corroborated  by  subsequent  histories  and  historical 
and  biographical  compilations,  are  the  authorities,  I  suppose,  most  to 
be  relied  on  in  settling  a  question  of  this  character.  All  these,  with 
the  exception  of  Botta,  agree  that  the  original  detachment  was  placed 
under  the  command  of  Colonel  Prescott,*  and  that  he  commanded  at 
the  redoubt  during  the  action.  Gordon  states  this.  General  Heath 
says  he  was  the  proper  commanding  officer  at  the  redoubt.  General 
Lee  expressly  states  that  Colonel  Prescott  commanded  on  Breed's 
Hill.  Heath  was  a  general  officer,  and  member  of  General  AVard's 
council  of  war  that  ordered  the  enterprise,  and  had  the  best  means  of 
knowing  the  fact.  Indeed,  he  could  not  have  been  ignorant.  Dr. 
Gordon  lived  in  the  neighborhood,  and  wrote  his  account  the  same 
year ;  and  General  Lee  was  an  officer  in  the  army,  served  through  the 
war,  and  wrote  his  history  nearly  thirty  years  ago,  when  there  was  no 
controversy  about  it.  Dr.  Holmes  in  his  Annals,  and  Judge  Marshall 
in  his  History,  concur  in  the  account  that  the  command  of  the  detach- 
ment f  was  given  to  Colonel  Prescott.  Both  General  Wilkinson  and 
General  Dearborn  state  that  the  original  detachment  was  put  under 
Colonel  Prescott,  and  that  he  commanded  at  the  redoubt,  and  give 
many  particulars  of  the  battle.  Subsequent  compilers  generally  adopt 
or  concur  in  these  accounts. 


*  Gordon's  Hist,  of  Am.  Rev.,  p.  39.     Heath's  Memoirs,  pp.10,  20.     II.  Lee's 
Mem.,  pp.  53-55. 

t   Vide  C.  Coffin's  Pamphlet  entitled  Hist,  of  Battle  of  Breed's  Hill. 


24  BATTLE-FIELD    OF   BUNKER   HILL. 

Botta  *  says  the  detachment  was  placed  under  Colonel  Prescott,  and 
that  General  P.  directed  in  chief,  and  held  himself  in  readiness  to 
repair  to  any  point.  Botta  was  a  foreigner,  and  had  not  the  same 
means  of  obtaining  correct  information  the  other  writers  possessed. 
The  want  of  correctness  in  other  parts  of  the  battle  proves  this.  Had 
General  P.  commanded,  it  must  have  been  notorious  here,  and 
would  in  all  probability  have  been  stated  by  the  American  historians. 
General  Humphrey's  essay  on  the  life  of  General  P.  is  too  full  of 
mistakes  to  be  referred  to  as  an  authority  for  any  thing  on  this  subject. 
It  is  stated  by  Generals  Heath,  Lee,  and  Wilkinson,  that  General 
Warren  came  on  to  the  heights  as  a  volunteer,  in  an  early  part  of 
the  action,  declined  assuming  the  command,  and  gallantly  fought  with 
his  musket  at  the  redoubt  until  he  fell,  which  was  probably  on  his 
retreat. 

The  sketch  of  the  battle  by  General  Wilkinson  published  in  1816, 
and  the  account  of  it  published  in  1818  by  General  Dearborn,  with 
sundry  affidavits  accompanying  it,  were  thought  by  the  friends  of 
General  Putnam  to  reflect  injuriously  on  his  military  conduct  on  that 
day.  To  repel  these  charges  or  statements,  and,  as  it  would  seem,  to 
show  that  he  really  had  the  chief  command,  and  conducted  himself  with 
courage  and  military  skill  on  that  occasion,  they  availed  themselves  of 
the  meeting  of  the  old  soldiers,  on  laying  the  foundation  of  Bunker 
Hill  monument,  to  take  a  great  mass  of  affidavits,  declarations,  and 
statements,  extracts  from  which  are  appended  to  Mr.  Swett's  account 
of  the  battle. 

I  had  no  knowledge  of  Wilkinson's  or  Dearborn's  account  of  the 
battle,  or  of  the  affidavits  accompanying  the  latter,  or  of  those  taken 
by  General  P.'s  friends,  till  I  saw  them  in  print.  The  latter  were 
mostly  by  subalterns  or  privates,  over  threescore  and  ten  when  they 
undertook  to  state  what  they  heard  and  saw  half  a  century  before,  in 
the  confusion  of  an  irregular  battle.  It  will  be  the  province  of  the 
historian  to  determine  what  weight  such  evidence,  if  evidence  it  can  be 
called,  is  entitled  to  in  settling  a  question  of  this  character. 

Upon  a  careful  examination  and  comparison,  however,  of  these  loose 
ex  parte  statements,  I  believe  it  will  appear,  as  far  as  any  inference 
can  safely  be  made  from  them,  that  General  P.'s  conduct  was  that  of 
a  patriotic,  ardent  volunteer,  rather  than  of  a  commander-in-chief  on 
the  day  of  and  during  a  perilous  battle.f  It  does  not  appear  that 
he  brought  any  troops  on  to  the  field,  or  gave  a  command  to  a  held  officer 
during  the  day,  or  even  gave  an  order  or  command  to  Colonel  Pr. 
There  are  two  circumstances  which  seem  to  show  that  Colonel  Pr.  at 
the  time  thought  himself  chief  in  command.     One  is  the  conversation 

*  1  Botta's  Hist.  pp.  297,  298. 

t  The  affidavits  and  statements  show,  if  they  show  any  thing,  that  General 
P.  went  to  Cambridge  between  one  and  two  o'clock  of  the  17th,  was  at 
ploughed  hill  between  two  and  three  o'clock,  and  was  seen  on  the  north-west 
side  of  Bunker  Hill  dismounted  during  the  action.  These  seem  not  to  be  the 
positions  of  a  commander  on  the  eve  or  in  the  hour  of  battle.  Vide  Dearborn, 
Trevett,  and  Wilkins  8.Bassett,and  Deacon  Miller's  affidavits  and  statements. 


BATTLE-FIELD    OF   BUNKER    HILL.  25 

between  him  and  General  Warren,  when  the  latter  entered  the  re- 
doubt, and  Colonel  Pr.  proposed  to  surrender  the  command  to  him. 
Indeed,  both  then  seem  to  consider  Colonel  Pr.  as  the  commander. 
The  other  and  more  decisive  fact  is  Colonel  Pr.'s  sending  for  rein- 
forcements and  refreshments  for  his  troops,  without  consulting  General 
P.  or  any  superior  officer.  It  appears  that  Colonel  Pr.,  in  the  fore- 
noon of  the  seventeenth,  without  consulting  General  P.,  who  is 
supposed  to  have  been  on  the  heights,  despatched  two  messengers, 
the  last  Major  Brooks,  to  headquarters,  requesting,  in  his  own  name, 
reinforcements  and  provisions  for  his  men.  Had  General  P.  been 
the  commander,  it  would  have  belonged  to  him  to  determine  on  the 
measure  and  make  the  application.  No  subordinate  would  have 
ventured  to  do  it.  Colonel  Pr.  I  am  certain,  would  not.  The  redoubt 
and  breastwork  were  united,  and  were  the  principal  post.  The 
defences,  at  the  rail  fences  and  other  points,  were  subsidiary,  though 
bravely  made.  There  were,  no  doubt,  great  irregularities  in  some 
parts  of  the  field,  especially  in  the  rear  ;  but  good  order  was  preserved 
in  the  original  detachment  until  the  retreat. 

Colonels  Stark  and  Heed  came  on  to  the  ground  a  short  time  before 
the  battle  commenced,  and  judiciously  posted  their  regiments  at  the 
rail  fence,  and  some  companies  on  the  beach.  There  seems  to  have 
been  no  opportunity  for  communication  between  them  and  Colonel  Pr., 
and  I  have  no  knowledge  that  there  was  any.  Generals  Wilkinson 
and  Dearborn  represent  them  to  have  fought  their  own  corps,  without 
receiving  orders  from  any  one. 

I  have  always  understood  and  believe  that  the  detachment  was 
originally  placed  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Pr.,  with  orders  in 
writing  from  the  commander-in-chief;  that  they  marched  to  Breed's 
Hill  under  his  command,  and  there  threw  up  the  works ;  and  that 
neither  General  Putnam  nor  any  other  officer  ever  exercised,  or  claimed, 
any  authority  or  command  over  him,  or  the  detachment,  before  or  in 
the  battle,  —  that  General  Putnam  was  not  in  the  redoubt  during  the 
action.  All  this  I  have  often  heard  stated  by  my  father,  as  well  as 
other  officers  of  the  detachment.  General  P.,  unhappily,  was  impaired 
by  paralysis  as  early  as  1780,  which  obliged  him  to  retire  from  the 
army. 

(A.) 

"William  Prescott  was  the  son  of  the  Hon.  Benjamin  Prescott,  of 
Groton,  and  served  as  a  lieutenant  of  a  company  of  foot  under  General 
Winslow  in  the  troops  raised  by  the  province  to  assist  in  the  capture 
of  Cape  Breton.  He  was  then  a  young  man,  and  distinguished  himself 
so  much  in  the  campaign  as  to  attract  the  particular  notice  of  the 
commander-in-chief,  who,  at  the  close  of  it,  urged  him  to  accept  a 
lieutenancy  in  the  regular  army ;  but  he  declined,  probably  not  willing 
to  leave  his  native  country  and  adopt  a  military  profession  for  life." 
"  In  1774,  he  was  appointed  colonel  of  a  regiment  of  minute-men,  organ- 
ized under  the  authority  of  the  Provincial  Congress,  and  upon  receiving 
intelligence,  in  the  morning  of  the  nineteenth  of  April,  1775,  of  the 

4 


26  BATTLE-FIELD   OF   BUNKER   HILL. 

advance  of  a  detachment  of  British  troops  to  Concord,  he  mustered  his 
regiment,  and  immediately  marched  to  meet  them ;  but  they  had  re- 
treated, and  he  did  not  overtake  them.  He  joined  the  American  army 
at  Cambridge,  and,  with  most  of  his  regiment,  afterwards  engaged  in 
the  continental  service,  as  it  was  called,  and  served  through  the  cam- 
paigns of  1775  and  177G,  when  infirm  health  and  the  situation  of  his 
family  and  private  affairs  obliged  him  to  retire."  "  lie  was  engaged  in 
several  skirmishes  with  the  enemy  in  New  York  and  New  Jersey. 
Although  much  beloved  by  his  soldiers,  he  was  a  strict  disciplinarian." 
"In  the  autumn  of  1777,  Colonel  Pr.,  with  a  company  of  volunteers 
composed  principally  of  officers  who  had  served  under  him,  joined  the 
northern  army  under  General  Gates,  to  aid  in  the  capture  of  General 
Burgoyne,  and  remained  until  his  surrender,  and  then  returned  home. 
This  was  his  last  military  service.  He  resided  in  Pepperell  during  the 
remainder  of  his  life,  represented  the  town  many  years  in  the  general 
court,  and  was  one  of  the  magistrates  of  the  county." 

u  In  178G,  the  year  of  the  insurrection  in  Massachusetts,  when  Job 
Shattuck  and  his  associates  assembled  to  prevent  the  sitting  of  the 
court,  Colonel  Pr.  buckled  on  his  sword  again  and  went  to  Concord, 
where  it  was  to  be  holden,  to  protect  it.  He  died  at  Pepperell  in 
1795,  in  his  seventieth  year." 

(B.) 

Colonel  Prescott  had  determined  never  to  be  taken  alive.  A  few 
months  before  the  battle,  while  he  commanded  a  regiment  of  minute- 
men,  his  brother-in-law,  Colonel  Willard,  was  at  his  house  ;  and,  endeav- 
oring to  dissuade  him  from  the  active  part  he  was  taking  against  the 
king's  government,  among  other  things,  suggested  that,  if  he  should  be 
found  in  arms  against  it,  his  life  and  estate  would  be  forfeited  for 
treason.  He  replied:  "I  have  made  up  my  mind  on  that  subject;  I 
think  it  probable  I  may  be  found  in  arms,  but  I  will  never  be  taken  alive. 
The  Tories  shall  never  have  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  me  hanged." 
He  went  on  to  the  heights  with  that  resolution.  He  was  often  heard 
to  say,  after  the  battle,  that  his  great  anxiety  that  night  was  to  have  a 
screen  raised,  however  slight,  Tor  his  men  before  they  were  attacked, 
which  he  expected  would  be  early  in  the  morning ;  as  he  knew  it  would 
be  difficult,  if  not  quite  impossible,  to  make  raw  troops,  however  full  of 
patriotism,  to  stand,  in  an  open  field,  against  artillery  and  well-armed 
and  well-disciplined  soldiers.  He,  therefore,  strenuously  urged  on  the 
work,  and  every  subaltern  and  private  labored  with  spade  and  pickaxe 
without  intermission  through  the  night,  and  until  they  resumed  their 
muskets  near  the  middle  of  the  next  day.  Never  were  men  in  worse 
condition  for  action,  —  exhausted  by  wratching,  fatigue,  and  hunger, 
and  never  did  old  soldiers  behave  better. 

As  Governor  Gage  and  his  staff,  with  some  other  officers,  were 
watching  the  progress  of  the  battle  from  Copp's  Hill  in  Boston,  he 


BATTLE-FIELD   OF   BUNKER   HILL.  27 

handed  his  glass  to  Colonel  Willard,  one  of  his  council,  and  asked  him 
to  look  and  see  if  he  knew  the  person  who  appeared  to  have  the  com- 
mand of  the  rebels.  He  looked,  and  told  the  governor  he  knew  him 
well  ;  it  was  Colonel  Prescott,  his  brother-in-law,  and  that  he  was  sorry 
to  see  him  there.  ik  Will  he  fight  ?  "  inquires  the  governor.  "  Yes," 
replied  Colonel  W.,  "  he  is  an  old  soldier  ;  he  will  light  as  long  as  a 
drop  of  blood  remains  in  his  veins ;  it  will  be  a  bloody  day,  you  may 
depend  on  it."     "  The  works  must  be  carried,"  was  the  reply. 

(E.) 

General  Warren  came  to  the  redoubt  a  short  time  before  the  action 
commenced,  with  a  musket  in  his  hand.  Colonel  Pr.  went  to  him 
and  proposed  that  he  should  take  the  command,  observing  that  he 
understood  he  had  been  appointed  a  major-general  a  day  or  two  before 
by  the  Provincial  Congress.  General  Warren  replied  :  "  I  shall  take 
no  command  here ;  I  have  not  yet  received  my  commission.  I  came  as 
a  volunteer  with  my  musket  to  serve  under  you,  and  shall  be  happy  to 
learn  from  a  soldier  of  your  experience."  General  Warren  fought 
gallantly  with  his  musket,  and,  unfortunately  for  his  country,  fell ;  but, 
whether  killed  during  the  battle  or  on  the  retreat  is  made  a  question. 
I  believe  it  was  just  after  he  left  the  redoubt ;  but  am  not  positive  that 
I  ever  heard  my  father  state  it. 

('■) 

My  late  friend,  Dr.  O.  Prescott,  states  the  fact.  He  says  that  soon 
after  the  battle  he  was  at  his  uncle  Colonel  Prescott's  house  in  Pep- 
perell,  and  that  he  shew  him  his  banyan  and  waistcoat,  that  had 
several  holes  pierced  through,  and  rents  made  in  several  places  in  them, 
■which  he  told  him  had  been  made  by  British  bayonets  on  Bunker  Hill. 
I,  also,  recollect  the  same  thing.  Holes  were  perforated  in  several 
places  in  both  banyan  and  waistcoat. 

(o.) 

I  have  heard  my  father  say  that  when  he  saw  the  British  approach- 
ing the  works  on  two  sides,  with  artillery  to  enfilade  the  breastwork, 
their  whole  fire  concentrated  on  his  position,  and  advancing  without 
firing  a  gun,  he  well  understood  their  intention,  and  considered  that  the 
post  must  inevitably  be  carried  ;  but  he  thought  his  duty  and  honor 
and  the  interest  of  the  country  required  that  it  should  be  defended  to 
the  last  extremity,  although  at  a  certain  sacrifice  of  many  lives.  He 
gave  directions  to  place  the  few  men  who  had  bayonets  at  the  points 
where  he  considered  the  wall  most  likely  to  be  scaled,  and  as  most  of 
them  had  a  charge  of  ammunition,  and  many  two  or  three  left,  and  a 
few  perhaps  more,  he  waited  till  the  enemy  had  advanced  within  about 
twenty  yards,  before  he  gave  the  order  to  fire. 

The  confusion  in  which  every  thing  was  involved  at  the  commence- 
ment of  our  revolution  has  rendered  it  a  question  at  this  day,  who  had 


28  BATTLE-FIELD    OF   BUNKER    HILL. 

the  chief  command  of  the  American  forces  engaged  in  the  battle  of 
Bunker  Hill.  The  redoubt  and  breastwork  were  unquestionably  the 
most  important  post.  The  defence  at  the  rail  fence,  and  along  the  line 
to  Mystic  River,  was  necessary  for  the  protection  of  the  redoubt,  but  it 
was  subsidiary.  It  is,  I  apprehend,  from  contemporary  history,  rather 
than  from  the  opinions  of  superannuated  subalterns  and  privates,  given 
forty  years  after  the  battle,  that  the  question  is  to  be  determined. 

Judge  Prescott  here  copies  several  accounts  of  the  battle.  1.  Botta's. 
Judge  P.  says  :  "  General  Putnam  was  never  in  the  redoubt 
during  the  action,  and  never  gave  an  order  to  Colonel  Prescott. 
The  redoubt  was  built  under  the  direction  of  Prescott  after  the 
ground  had  been  laid  out  by  Colonel  Gridley.  General  P.  did 
not  head  the  detachment  from  Cambridge  to  B.  Hill,  nor  march 
with  it." 

2.  The  account  in  "  Encyclopedia  Americana "  of  Bunker  Hill  and 

Prescott.  Breed's  Hill,  says  the  "Encyclopedia,"  was  a  more 
suitable  station.  Judge  P.  says :  "  This  was  the  experienced 
engineer  Colonel  Gridley's  opinion,  and  the  other  held  officers 
who  were  consulted,  —  they  thought  it  came  within  his  orders. 
There  was  not  then  the  distinction  between  Bunker's  Hill  and 
Breed's,  that  has  since  been  made." 

3.  Gordon's  account.     4.  Marshall's.     5.  Holmes's  Annals.     G.  Gen- 

eral Lee's. 

7.  Tudor's  account.      Judge    Prescott  states  that   "  Gridley   advised 

building  the  redoubt  on  Breed's  Hill." 

8.  Heath's.     Judge  Prescott  says  :  "  There  can  be  no  better  authority 

than  this  as  far  as  it  goes." 

9.  Humphrey's.     Judge  Prescott  says  that  Warren  rode  down  alone. 

"  General  Putnam  never  brought  up  a  reenforcement  of  any  kind." 

10.  Extract  from  N.  A.  Review.      11.  Wilkinson's  account.     12.  The 

paper  closes  with  the  following  letter  to  Samuel  Svvett. 

Hon.  William  Prescott  to  Colonel  Samuel  Swett. 

Boston,  Oct.  30,  1838. 

My  dear  Sir,  —  I  have  received  a  copy  of  the  second  edition  of 
the  History  of  the  Battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  some  days  ago,  for  which  I 
thank  you  ;  and,  the  day  before  yesterday,  the  leaf  which  you  propose 
to  add  to  it.  This,  I  think,  would  not  be  a  fit  place  for  the  views  and 
facts  I  intended  to  offer  you. 

When  the  first  edition  of  the  history  was  published,  you  had  the 
goodness  to  send  me  a  copy ;  but  I  never  saw  or  heard  of  the  second 
until  eight  or  ten  years  after  it  was  published.  I  have  since  repeatedly 
read  it  with  great  interest,  and  find  most  of  the  important  facts  stated, 
in  substance,  as  I  have  understood  them  from  my  boyhood.  There  is 
one,  however,  in  which  I  cannot  concur  with  the  statement  in  the 
history.  This,  as  I  understand  it,  represents  that  Gen.  Putnam  had 
the  command  of  all  the  troops  engaged  in  the  action.  I  have  not  the 
smallest  disposition  to  disparage  Gen.  P.  or  his  services,  but  I  believe 


BATTLE-FIELD   OF   BUNKER   HILL.  29 

no  authority  or  reason  can  be  found  for  this  supposition,  other  than  his 
rank,  and  that  he  was  on  the  heights  during  the  battle. 

The  detachment  that  marched  from  Cambridge  the  night  before,  in- 
cluding the  one  hundred  and  twenty  Connecticut  men,  was  placed 
under  the  command  of  Col.  Prescott,  by  an  order  in  writing  from  the 
commander-in-chief,  with  instructions  to  proceed  to  Bunker  Iliil  and 
fortify  it  till  relieved.  Col.  Prescott  conferred  with  his  officers  and 
Col.  Gridley  (Gen.  Putnam  might  be  present)  as  to  the  place  intended 
for  the  fortification  ;  but  Col.  Prescott  took  on  himself  the  responsi- 
bility of  deciding,  as  well  he  might,  for  on  him  it  would  rest. 

I  know  from  evidence  that  with  me  is  conclusive,  that  Gen.  Put- 
nam never  exercised  any  authority  over  this  detachment,  or  any  part 
of  it ;  and  that  he  never,  at  any  time  before,  during,  or  after  the  battle, 
gave  an  order  or  command  to  Col.  Prescott. 

If  you  had  proposed  to  revise  your  history  before  publishing  the 
third  edition,  as  I  supposed  you  might  when  I  wrote  you,  I  intended 
to  have  submitted  to  your  consideration  my  views  fully  on  this  point, 
and  the  evidence  on  which  they  are  founded.  But  as  the  edition  is 
already  printed,  and  is  the  same  with  the  second,  it  would  now  be  use- 
less to  do  it;  for  they  could  not  be  introduced,  if  you  were  so  disposed, 
without  creating  an  incongruity  in  the  work.  I  have  thought,  however, 
as  I  highly  appreciate  other  parts  of  the  history,  I  ought,  in  fairness,  to 
state  to  you  my  dissent  from  this. 

I  am,  very  truly,  your  friend  and  servant. 

LETTERS   ILLUSTRATING   THE    BATTLE. 

James    Warren  to  John  Adams. 

"Water-town,  June  20,  1775. 
My  dear  Sir,  —  Since  my  last,  I  have  the  pleasure  of  several  of 
yours.  I  am  extremely  obliged  to  you  ;  and  to  continue  your  attention 
to  me  in  this  way,  can  assure  you  I  don't  fail  to  make  use  of  any  thing 
I  think  will  serve  the  public  from  your  letters.  I  communicated  to 
both  our  Generals  that  Paragraph  of  your  Letter  containing  Gen1 
Lee's  opinion  of  the  Generals  and  character,  particularly  of  Burgoyne. 
Yours  p'  Messrs.  Halls,  I  never  rec'd  till  the  day  before  yesterday. 
I  have  never  seen  those  Gent" ;  shall  observe  your  recommendation 
when  I  do.  You  will  doubtless  hear  before  this  reaches  you  of  another 
action  here  on  Saturday  last,  which  terminated  with  less  success  on  our 
side  than  any  one  that  has  taken  place  before.  However,  they  have 
nothing  to  boast  of  but  the  possession  of  the  ground.  You  will  say 
that  is  enough.  It  is  enough  to  mark  with  Infamy  those  who  suffered 
it ;  but  they  have  paid  very  dearly  for  it  in  the  loss  of  many  men. 
They  landed  about  2000.  1  can't  learn  who  commanded  them  —  were 
more  than  once  repulsed  by  the  Bravery  of  our  men  in  the  Imperfect 
Lines  hove  up  the  night  before;  who,  had  they  been  supplied  with 
Ammunition  &  a  small  reinforcement  of  Fresh  men,  would,  tho'  under 
every  disadvantage,  have,  in  all  probability,  cut  them  to  pieces.     Here 


30  BATTLE-FIELD   OF   BUNKER   HILL. 

fell  our  worthy  &  much  Lamented  Frd  Docf  Warren,  with  as  much 
Glory  as  Wolfe  on  the  plains  of  Abraham  ;  after  performing  many 
feats  of  Bravery,  &  exhibiting  a  coolness  &  conduct  which  did  Honor 
to  the  judgment  of  his  Country  in  appointing  him  a  few  days  before 
one  of  their  Major  Generals;  —  at  once  admired  &  lamented  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  make  it  difficult  to  determine  whether  regret  or  Envy 
predominates.  Had  our  brave  men,  posted  on  Ground  Injudiciously 
at  first  taken,  had  a  Lee  or  a  Washington  Instead  of  a  General  desti- 
tute of  all  military  ability  &  spirit  to  command  them,  it  is  my  opinion 
the  day  would  have  terminated  with  as  much  Glory  to  America  as  the 
19th  of  April.  This  is  our  great  misfortune,  &  it  is  remediless  from 
any  other  quarter  than  yours.  We  dare  not  superceed  him  here  — 
it  will  come  well  from  you,  &  really  merits  your  attention.  That,  &  a 
necessary  article  which  makes  me  tremble  to  name  or  think  of,  is  all 
we  want.  Our  men  were  harass'd  all  the  morning  by  Cannon  from  2 
Batteries,  2  Ships,  &  a  Bomb  Battery ;  &  altho'  attacked  by  a  great 
number  of  armed  Boats,  nevertheless  made  a  stout  resistance. 

Some  fatality  always  attends  my  attempts  to  write  you.  I  am  called 
away,  &  fear  I  shant  be  able  to  add  another  paragraph. 

1  must  beg  you  would  make  my  acknowledgments  to  Mr.  dishing, 
&  my  good  Friend  Mr.  Adams,  for  their  kind  favors.  I  fully  designed 
to  have  wrote  them,  but  this  Express  goes  so  suddenly  as  not  to  give 
me  an  oppoy — shall  embrace  the  next,  as  well  as  to  enlarge  to  you. 
The  hurry  of  our  affairs  can  hardly  be  described.  We  have  just  rec'd 
an  acc°  by  a  man  who  is  said  to  have  swam  out  of  Boston,  that  we 
killed  and  wounded  1 000  of  them ;  among  the  first  of  which  is  a  Gen- 
eral, Majors  Sherrif  &  Pitcairn,  &  GO  other  Officers.  70  officers 
wounded.  The  whole  of  the  Troops  landed  at  Charlestown  were  5000. 
This  acc°  is  not  improbable  to  me,  but  I  cannot  warrant  the  authen- 
ticity of  it.  1  am,  your  Friend.     Adieu. 

J.  Warren. 

Mrs.  Adams  &  family  were  well  when  I  last  heard  from  them.  I 
have  had  great  pleasure  in  conversing  with  Doct.  Church,  who  gives 
me  a  good  acc°  of  your  Spirit,  Unanimity,  &c.  I  am  well  pleased  with 
most  of  your  resolves.  I  cant  however  say  that  I  admire  the  form  of 
Gov1  prescribed  ;  but  we  are  all  submission,  &  are  sending  out  our 
letters  for  calling  an  Assembly.  I  hope  we  shall  have  as  good  an  oppy 
for  a  good  Gov1  in  some  future  time. 

James   Warren  to  Samuel  Adams,  June  21,  1775. — Extract. 

The  late  action  at  Charlestown  you  will  hear  of  before  this  reaches 
you.  I  gave  our  friend,  J.  Adams,  an  imperfect  account  of  it,  yester- 
day. I  refer  you  to  him,  and  having  nothing  to  be  relied  on  since, 
shall  only  say  that,  though  the  troops  and  tories  in  Boston  exult  much, 
I  think  they  have  nothing  to  brag  of  but  the  possession  of  the  ground, 
and  what  was  still  of  more  consequence  to  us,  the  death  of  our  worthy 
friend  Dr.  Warren.     But  you  may  depend  on  it,  they  have  paid  very 


BATTLE-FIELD    OF   BUNKER   HILL.  31 

dearly  for  their  acquisition.  I  believe  we  shall  find  their  killed  and 
wounded  very  great,  perhaps  not  much  less  than  1000,  and  among 
them  many  officers.  Their  troops  that  came  over  it  is  said  were  5000, 
commanded  by  Lord  Howe.  It  is  amazing  how  uncertain  we  remain 
to  this  time  of  many  facts  you  might  suppose  we  were  fully  possessed 
of.  We  are  not  at  this  time  able  to  ascertain  the  number  of  our  own 
men  killed  and  wounded,  though  we  have  reason  to  suppose  they  will 
not  greatly  exceed  100.  We  are  well  pleased  with  the  spirit  and 
resolutions  of  your  congress ;  we  could  only  have  wished  you  had  suf- 
fered us  to  have  embraced  so  good  an  opportunity  to  form  for  ourselves 
a  constitution  worthy  of  freemen.  All  l>odies  have  their  foibles.  Jeal- 
ousy, however  groundless,  may  predominate  in  yours.  We  have,  how- 
ever, submitted,  and  are  sending  out  our  letters,  and  shall  express  our 
gratitude  by  this  conveyance  for  your  kindness  and  benevolence  to  us 
in  this  respect.  Our  good  Major  Hawley  can  be  very  sincere,  and 
your  brother  Gushing  I  suppose  likes  it.  He  has  relieved  me  by  an 
intimation  of  a  probability  that  you  will  regulate  the  constitution  of 
all  the  colonies. 

I  must  again  refer  you  to  my  friend  Adams  for  my  sentiments  of  the 
situation  of  our  own  army.  You  would  tremble  to  be  possessed  of  the 
true  state  of  it.  Fine  fellows  you  know  our  countrymen  are;  and 
want  nothing  but  a  general  of  spirit  and  abilities  to  make  them  a  fine 
army.  All  our  efforts,  which  are  many,  cannot  supply  that  defect, — • 
yours  must  do  it.  Could  you  believe,  he  never  left  his  house  on  Satur- 
day ;  but  I  shall  add  no  more.  I  wish  that  was  the  worst  of  it.  By 
the  way,  I  must  do  justice  to  Thomas ;  he  is  a  good  officer,  and  is 
esteemed.  We  have  no  trouble  with  his  camp,  it  is  always  in  good 
order,  and  things  are  conducted  with  dignity  and  spirit  in  the  military 
style.  We  yesterday  chose  Heath  to  succeed  our  friend  Warren  as 
second  major-general.  Whitcomb  is  the  first.  The  humanity  of  the 
good  Gen.  Gage  that  we  have  heard  so  much  of  has  reduced  Charles- 
town  to  ashes,  and  will,  I  presume,  treat  all  other  towns  in  his  power 
in  the  same  manner.  I  am  now  called  on  and  must  conclude,  with  my 
regards,  &c,  to  all  our  friends ;  and  am,  with  my  best  wishes  for  every 
happiness  to  you,  Your  friend, 

James  Warren. 

Samuel  B.  Webb  to  Silas  Deane. 

For  Silas  Deane,  Esq., 

at  the  Continental  Congress, 

Philadelphia. 
Fr.  Mr.  Alexander's  Express. 

Camp  at  Cambridge,  July  11th,  1775. 

Dear  Sir, —  Your  several  late  letters  I  have  received,  and  the 
Book.  For  your  kind  remembrance  of  me  to  the  Commanding  officers, 
I  beg  leave  to  return  you  my  most  hearty  thanks. 

General  Putnam  is  a  man  highly  esteemed  with  us ;  he  has  done  me 
the  Honor  to  appoint  me  his  first  Aid-De-Camp.     Since  which,  I  have 


32  BATTLE-FIELD   OF   BUNKER   HILL. 

had  the  offer  of  being  a  Brigade  Major  from  General  Gates.  They 
are  both  Honorable  and  agreeable  posts.  I  shall  for  the  present  re- 
main with  Gen1  Putnam  —  this  post  will  call  me  to  be  continually  with 
the  first  company  in  Camp,  by  which  I  hope  to  improve. 

Our  commander-in-Chief,  together  with  the  other  Gentlemen  from 
the  Southward,  are  highly  esteemed  by  every  class  —  they  will  be  a 
means  of  Disciplining  the  Army,  which  was  much  wanted.  Your 
friend  Mr.  Miller  is  a  Gentleman  my  station  will  call  me  to  be  much 
with  —  he  is  very  obliging  to  me,  and  I  doubt  not  will  do  me  every 
service  in  his  power.  I  should  have  wrote  you  a  very  particular  ac- 
count of  the  late  Battle  fought  in  the  Valley  over  Bunker's  Hill,  but 
supposed  Col.  Saltonstall  or  my  Brother  had  forwarded  you  my  letter 
I  wrote  them,  which  contained  an  exact  detail  of  facts  —  I  hope  you 
have  received  them  before  this.  Mr.  Alexander,  the  Express,  leaves 
town  in  half  an  hour,  which  will  prevent  my  being  as  particular  as  I 
could  wish.  Our  Army  are  now  encamped  on  Prospect  Hill,  and 
have  got  nearly  completed  our  grand  Breastwork  reaching  from  the 
Hill  to  Mystic  River ;  on  our  Right  we  have  completed  several  Re- 
doubts and  Breastworks  not  far  distant  from  each  other,  so  that  our 
lines  are  now  extended  from  Mystic  over  to  Charles  River.  The 
Enemy  are  on  Bunker's  Hill,  and  are  not  idle  —  they  are  fortifying 
in  the  strongest  manner  possible.  Their  situation  is  amazingly  strong ; 
ten  times  their  number  could  not  route  them.  Directly  in  the  front 
lies  the  narrow  neck  of  Charlestown,  on  their  right  four  floating  bat- 
teries  in  Mystic  River  —  on  their  left  next  Boston  two  ships  and 
several  tenders,  floating  batteries,  &c,  pointing  directly  across  the 
Neck  —  by  which  it  would  be  almost  impossible  to  pass.  We  hourly 
expect  them  to  sally  out  and  attempt  to  carry  our  Line*.  I  am  sorry 
to  say  we  have  not  men  enough  ;  'tis  too  true.  Gen1  Washington  has 
desired  the  Provincial  Congress  to  send  in  the  Militia  to  the  number 
of  4  or  5000  till  we  can  raise  more  men  —  this  matter  we  at  present 
keep  a  secret  for  fear  our  Enemies  should  take  advantage  of  it,  and 
make  their  attack  in  a  number  of  different  places,  and  by  that  means 
force  our  Intrench ments.  But  should  they  attempt  it,  'tis  thought  by 
our  commander  that  it  will  be  the  most  bloody  Engagement  our  Ameri- 
can World  ever  knew  —  our  men  are  Resolute  and  determined.  On 
an  alarm  (of  which  we  have  had  several  within  a  week)  our  men  seem 
cheerfully  to  fly  to  their  Alarm  posts.  AVe  have  several  thousands  of 
Pikes,  with  12  feet  handles,  which  are  placed  along  our  Lines  —  and 
most  certainly  will  be  very  useful  if  they  attempt  to  scale  the  walls.  I 
cannot  think  but  500  of  them  at  Bunker's  Hill  at  the  time  of  the 
Battle  would  have  been  a  means  of  saving  our  works;  if  we  had  we 
must  have  gained  a  complete  victory  —  for  after  landing  the  troops  the 
Boats  were  all  ordered  to  Boston,  that  there  was  no  retreat  left  for 
them.  Fight,  Conquer,  or  Die,  was  what  their  officers  was  plainly 
heard  to  say  very  often.  Major  Bruce,  who  served  two  years  in 
Portugal  with  Gen1  Lee,  told  my  brother  Joe  at  the  lines,  that  it  was 
the  hottest  Engagement  he  ever  knew ;  even,  says  he,  the  Battle  of 
Minden  did  not  equal  it.     For  my  part  I  confess,  when  I  was  descend- 


BATTLE-FIELD    OF   BUNKER   HILL.  66 

ing  into  the  Valley  from  off  Bunker's  Hill  side  by  side  of  Capt.  Ches- 
ter at  the  head  of  our  Company,  I  had  no  more  tho't  of  ever  rising  the 
Hill  again  than  I  had  of  ascending  to  Heaven  as  Elijah  did,  Soul  &> 
Body  together.  But  after  we  got  engaged,  to  see  the  Dead  and 
Wounded  around  me,  I  had  no  other  feelings  but  that  of  Revenge  ;  four 
men  were  shot  dead  within  five  feet  of  me,  but  thank  Heaven  I  escaped 
with  only  the  graze  of  a  musket  Ball  on  my  Hat.  I  think  it  my  duty 
to  tell  you  the  bravery  of  one  of  our  Company  —  Edward  Brown  stood 
side  by  side  with  Gershom  Smith  in  the  Intrenchments.  Smith  fell, 
Brown  saw  his  danger  —  discharged  his  own  and  Smith's  gun  ;  when 
they  came  so  close  as  to  push  Bayonet  over  our  small  Breastwork  — 
Brown  sprang,  seized  a  Regular's  gun,  took  it  from  him  and  killed  him 
on  the  spot,  bro't  off  the  gun  in  triumph,  and  has  it  now  by  him.  In 
this  Engagement  we  lost  four  brave  men,  and  four  wounded  —  the 
dead  are  Wilson  Rowlandson,  wounded,  taken  prisoner  and  since  died 
in  Boston  Goal  —  Gershom  Smith,  Lawrence  Sullivan,  Roger  Fox, 
killed  on  the  spot  —  the  four  wounded  are  almost  well.  I  had  like  to 
forgot  to  mention  that  Col.  Parker,  wounded  in  the  thigh,  was  taken 
prisoner,  and  carried  to  Boston,  where  he  lay  in  a  Common  Goal  and 
died.  Gen1  Lee  in  particular  is  much  put  out ;  intends  writing  into 
Boston  very  soon  in  a  severe  way  —  and  inform  them  what  lie  thinks 
of  their  Barbarity,  and  further  acquaint  them  that  if  they  continue  their 
savage  cruelty  that  every  King's  olficer  on  the  continent  will  be  closely 
confined.  Indeed  we  all  wish  and  expect  they  will  be  secured, 
especially  Elliott  of  New  York,  who  is  a  man  of  great  Importance. 
My  brother  Joe  has  been  with  us  a  week,  set  off  for  home  last  evening 
—  he  had  a  cruel  Interview  within  the  Regular  Guards  on  Charles- 
town  Neck  with  Mr.  Simpson  and  my  unhappy  Sister  —  but  the  officers 
forbid  them  any  conversation  about  leaving  town.  My  heart  aches  for 
them,  but  'tis  in  vain  —  none  can  be  permitted  to  come  from  under  the 
clutches  of  that  Tyrant  Gage  and  his  Infernal  crew.  Mr.  Trumbull 
our  Commissary  is  much  beloved  by  all  Hanks  of  people  ;  'tis  lisped  he 
may  be  appointed  Commissary  General  of  the  American  Army  —  none 
here  is  so  well  calculated  for  that  important  office  —  his  extensive  con- 
nexions enables  him  to  procure  every  necessary  with  the  greatest 
imaginable  dispatch.  I  fancy  he  is  recommended  by  our  Genls  which, 
with  your  and  his  other  friends  Influence,  I  doubt  not  will  procure  him 
the  Fatiguing  Birth.  I  have  received  many  friendly  services  from 
him.  I  wish  to  add  many  particulars,  but  the  Express  waits.  Capt. 
Chester  is  in  a  fair  way  to  be  appointed  Major  of  Brigade.  We  have 
burnt  the  Regular  Guard  houses  on  Roxbury  —  little  skirmishes  hap- 
pen almost  every  day  —  the  king's  troops  come  off  second  best.  Major 
Miflin  being  very  observing  on  the  Marshes  with  his  Glass  has  been 
complimented  with  half  a  dozen  four  and  six  pounders  from  the  Ships 
and  Batteries  in  Boston,  but  he  is  a  small  mark  and  came  off  clear.  I 
beg  you  to  write  me  particular  whenever  you  have  leisure. 
Be  assured  I  am,  Dear  Sir, 

With  Esteem  Affectionately  Yours, 

Saml  B.  Webb. 
Silas  Deane,  Esq.,  Philadelphia. 


o 


34  BATTLE-FIELD   OF   BUNKER  HILL. 


From  Diary  of  Lieut.   Col.  Eph.  Storrs,  of  Mansfield,   Cn. 
Copied  by  Jas.  L.  Storrs,  verbatim. 

June. 

1.  "  Some  rain  this  morning,  fair  weather  about  7.  Sat  out,  took 
provisions  and  went  forward  to  Westborough  where  we  dined.  Went 
forward  to  Puckminster's  at  Framingham,  where  we  tarried.  Disci- 
plined William  Abbe  and  Ezra  Phelps  for  deserting  the  companies  on 
our  march." 

2.  "  Ordered  the  companies  to  proceed  as  far  as  Leeson's  in  Wal- 
tham  and  make  a  halt  for  the  night,  then  left  them  under  the  care  of 
Lieut.  Gray,  and  proceeded  with  Lieut.  Dane  to  Cambridge,  at  Col. 
Lee's  house,  where  we  expected  to  have  tarried  ;  found  3  companies. 
Went  to  head  quarters  to  Gen.  Putnam,  he  came  with  us  to  our  pro- 
posed quarters,  looked  for  accommodations  for  my  companies.  Con- 
clude to  mnrch  in  to-morrow.  Came  out  to  Watertown  with  Lieut. 
Dane;  tarried  there." 

3.  "  Towards  noon  the  companies  arrived.  Sat  off  with  them  to 
Cambridge ;  met  Gen.  Putnam  on  the  road.  Come  to  the  house  of 
Mr.  Fairweather,  where  we  make  our  quarters;  after  dinner  went  up 
to  head  quarters  to  show  ourselves  to  the  General ;  he  recommends  our 
being  immediately  provided  for  action." 

4.  "  Lord's  day.     Heard  Mr.  Leonard  our  chaplin  on  the  common." 

5.  "Attended  prayers  this  morning  with  the  companies.  Spent 
some  time  in  aprising  the  arms,  &c,  from  Mansfield.  Ordered  the 
companies  to  discipline  15  men.  Sent  to  clear  the  house  at  head  quar- 
ters, after  prayers  at  night  at  head  quarters." 

6.  "  Sent  a  letter  to  Mr.  Salter  respecting  printing  the  sermon  he 
delivered  to  our  companies  on  our  departure  from  Mansfield ;  had 
liberty  for  4  of  my  men  who  have  been  here  since  the  allarrum  to  re- 
turn home  on  a  furlough  of  12  days.  Deacon  Freeman  and  Aaron 
Ilovey  at  our  lodgings.  Walked  the  grand  rounds  with  them  and  Col. 
Freeman  to  view  the  various  fortifications  in  this  place  and  at  Charles- 
town." 

7.  "  Unwell,  bad  cold.  Returning  from  prayers  had  orders  to  take 
the  command  of  the  guard  today  ;  unacquainted  with  the  business,  un- 
well; however  I  am  willing  to  learn  my  duty,  as  I  have  all  the  customs 
and  rules  of  the  camp  to  learn ;  not  much  sleep  to-night,  many  prisoners. 
Some  drunk,  noisy  and  crazy." 

8.  "Relieved  this  morning,  came  home  and  went  to  sleep.  Mr. 
Fairweather  came  home  last  night  out  of  humor  as  they  tell  me.     No 


BATTLE-FIELD    OF   BUNKER   HILL.  35 

wonder,  his  house  filled  up  with  soldiers,  and  perhaps  his  interest 
suffers  as  it  really  must.  Sent  for  me,  yet  appears  to  act  the  part  of  a 
gentleman.  Went  to  sleep,  took  some  refreshment  and  am  some  better, 
but  have  a  bad  cough." 

9.  "  Went  to  Gen.  Putnam  to  make  return  of  my  companies  to  draw 
soap,  beer,  &c,  out  of  the  Connecticut  store ;  he  declines  coming  to  a 
settlement  about  it,  my  company  uneasy  for  want  of  beer  and  soap  for 
washing;  many  visitors  from  Windham." 

10.  "  Not  well ;  my  constitution  I  fear  is  not  strong  enough  for  a  cam- 
paign. Sat  out  with  Lieut.  Gray  for  Salem.  Dined  at  Maiden,  went 
to  Salem,  got  some  clothing  and  tarried  at  the  sign  of  the  bell,  ex- 
tremely dry  and  dusty." 

11.  "  Some  rain  last  night.  Sat  out  this  Lord's  day  and  came  to 
Cambridge,  meeting  almost  out  when  we  came  to  the  common.  Lieut 
Right,  David  Eldwag  at  our  quarters ;  tarried  there  the  night." 

12.  "At  12  o'clock  attended  on  the  field  officers  belonging  to  Con- 
necticut and  come  into  a  conclusion  directing  the  commissary.  What 
articles  and  how  much  they  are  to  deal  to  the  men,  as  molases,  chocol- 
ate, &c.  Not  well  at  night;  to-day  we  hear  there  is  1300  regulars 
more  arrived." 

13.  "  Sat  our  men  to  making  cartriges." 

14.  "Attended  on  the  main  guard  rounds  post;  had  a  comfortable 
turn." 

15.  "  Scarcely  any  sleep  last  night ;  in  the  morning  before  relieved, 
had  news  that  our  people  were  in  an  engagement  at  Roxbury,  but 
proved  to  be  nothing  more  than  a  firing  of  the  regulars  in  Boston. 
Mr.  Welch  of  Mansfield  with  his  son  dined  with  us  to-day." 

16.  "  Expecting  an  engagement  soon,  P.  M.  Orders  came  for  draft- 
ing 31  men  from  my  company,  and  the  same  from  all  the  companies 
belonging  to  Connecticut.  Sent  off  Lieut.  Dana,  Sergt.  Fuller,  Cor- 
poral Webb  and  28  privates.  Who  at  8  o'clock  went  dowu  to  Bunker's 
Hill  together,  with  a  large  detachment  of  the  troops  of  this  province, 
where  they  flung  up  an  entrenchment." 

17.  "At  sun  rise  this  morning  a  fire  began  from  the  ships,  but 
moderate;  about  10  went  down  to  Gen.  Putnam's  post  who  has  the 
command.  Some  shot  whistled  around  us.  Tarried  there  a  spell  and 
returned  to  have  my  company  in  readiness  to  relieve  them ;  one  killed 
and  1  wounded  when  I  came  away." 

"  About  2  o'clock  there  was  a  brisk  cannonade  from  the  ships  on 
the  battery  or  entrenchment.     At  noon  orders  came  to  turn  out  im- 


36  BATTLE-FIELD   OF    BUNKER   HILL. 

mediately,  and  that  the  regulars  were  landed  at  sundry  places.  Went 
to  head  quarters  for  our  regimental.  Received  orders  to  repair  with 
our  regiment  to  No.  1  and  defend  it.  No  enemy  appearing,  orders  ' 
soon  came  that  our  people  at  the  entrenchment  were  retreating  and 
for  us  to  secure  the  retreat.  I  immediately  marched  for  their  relief, 
the  regulars  did  not  come  off  from  Bunker's  Hill,  but  have  taken  pos- 
session of  the  entrenchments,  and  our  people  make  a  stand  on  Winter 
Hill,  and  we  immediately  went  to  entrenching;  flung  up  by  morning  an 
entrenchment  about  100  feet  square.  Done  principally  by  our  regi- 
ment under  Putnam's  directions,  had  but  little  sleep  the  night." 

18.  "  Gen.  Putnam  gave  orders  for  the  relief  of  our  regiment;  re- 
turned home  much  fatigued  and  wearied.  Spent  the  remainder  of  the 
day  in  fixing  those  who  were  in  the  fight  with  ammunition,  cartrige, 
&c.     Lord's  day." 

19.  "  Have  lost  in  the  fight  two  men,  Matthew  Cummins  and  Philip 
Johnston  killed  at  the  breast  work ;  7  wounded,  none  I  hope  mortally. 

"This  action  was  rather  precipitate,  the  entrenchment  exposed  to  the 
fire  of  all  the  ships,  and  in  a  place  where  the  enemy  landed  their  men 
under  the  cover  of  the  cannon  from  the  ships,  and  the  post  not  suf- 
ficiently guarded;  they  forced  the  entrenchments  without  much 
difficulty." 

20.  "Went  out  to  Koxbury ;  had  some  conversation  with  Gen. 
Spencer  on  last  Saturday  affair  with  the  respect  to  the  beginning  on 
Bunker's  Hill  in  the  place  where  we  did.  Came  home  and  found  Mr. 
McCall,  Mr.  Leavens  and  Josiah  Storrs  at  quarters;  at  night  had  Orders 
to  lie  on  arms.     Went  over  to  Watertown." 

21.  "I  have  lost  one  day  I  find  on  recollection." 

22.  "  Went  down  to  the  hill  in  order  to  settle  the  matter  respecting 
an  armour  for  our  regiment.  Brother  Eleazer  came  into  town.  Noth- 
ing remarkable  transpired  today.  We  hear  from  Boston  there  is  1000 
regulars  killed  and  wounded  in  the  late  action." 

23.  "An  allarrum.  News  came  that  the  regulars  were  landing, 
were  in  readiness  for  a  march,  but  proved  false.  Numbers  of  people 
come  in  from  Connecticut.     Throng  the  house." 


■& 


24.  "  An  allarrum.     Orders  for  us  to  parade  on  the  general  parade 
and  wait  further  orders.     No  orders  further,  return  back  to  quarters." 

25.  "  Lord's  day ;  on  the  main  guard,  nothing  extraordinary  ;  yester- 
day many  cannon  fired  at  lloxbury,  2  killed  of  our  people." 

^  26.  "  We  hear  a  chief  officer  is  appointed,  Gen.  Washington  of  Vir- 
ginia, to  supersede  in  the  command  of  the  troops  here." 


BATTLE-FIELD    OF   BUNKER   HILL.  37 

27.  "  Went  to  Roxbury  with  brother  Eleazer  to  see  Gen.  Spencer, 
Col.  Parsons,  Captain  Craft.     Conclude  that  a  place  of  safety." 

28.  "  Ordered  the  remainder  of  the  regiment  that  are  now  in  town 
to  meet  at  4  o'clock ;  met  them,  had  regimental  exercise,  wet  before  L 
got  home." 

Extracts  from  an  Orderly  Booh,  supposed  to  be  Capt.  Chester's. 

Gen!  orders,  June  51-  1775. 

Field  officer  of  the  day  to  morrow,  Col.  Patterson. 

Field  officer  of  the  Piquett  guard  to  night,  MajT  Pool. 

Field  officer  of  the  Main  guard  to  morrow  morn,  Lieu'  Col.  Whitney. 

Field  officer  of  the  Fatigue  to  morrow,  Majf  Jackson. 

Adjutant  of  the  day  to  morrow,  Warner. 

Parole,  Sals  bury  ;  Countersign,  Haverhill. 

Gen!  orders,  June  6'»  1775. 

Parole,  Glocester ;  Countersign,  Topsfield. 
Field  officer  of  the  day  to  morrow,  Col"   W™  Prescott. 
Field  officer  of  the  Piquett  guard  to  night,  Majr.  Putnam. 
Field  officer  of  the  Main  guard  to  morrow,  Lieut.  Col.  Jones. 
Field  officer  of  the  Fatigue  to-morrow,  Lieut.  Col.  Robinson. 
Adjutant  of  the  day  to  morrow,  Green. 

Gen!  orders  June  7{»  1775. 

Parole,  Springfield  ;  Countersign,  Northumberland. 

Field  officer  of  the  day  to  morrow,  Col.  Gardiner. 

Field  officer  of  the  Piquett  guard  to  night,  Maj'  Durkee. 

Field  officer  of  the  Main  guard  to  morrow,  Lieut  Col.  Hutchinson. 

Field  officer  of  the  Fatigue  to  morrow,  Maj.  Baldwin. 

Adjutant  of  the  day  to  morrow,  Hunt. 

That  the  commanding  officer  of  each  regiment,  detachment  and  com- 
pany, make  a  complete  return  of  the  number  of  his  respective  reg. 
detachment,  or  company,  the  number  of  arms  suitable  for  service  and 
how  many  rounds  each  man  is  furnished  with. 

Sam!-  Osgood,  Majr  of  the  Brigade. 

Regimental  orders. 

That  the  commanding  officer  of  each  company  shall  see  his  company 
turned  out  at  the  beating  of  the  revel le  and  be  on  the  grand  parade 
by  sunrising  and  there  to  be  exercised  by  their  regimental  officer,  till 
prayers  and  then  attend  the  same,  and  each  officer  see  his  men  are  well 
dressed,  shaved  and  hair  combed  and  cleaned,  no  blankets  on.  That 
no  sentry  march  down  on  his  post,  but  back  and  forth  and  keep  a  good 
look  out. 


d5  BATTLE-FIELD   OF   BUNKER   HILL. 

Gen!  orders,  June  8$  1775. 

Parole,  Shelburn  ;   Countersign,  Conway. 

Field  officer  of  the  day  to  morrow,  Col.  Scammon. 

Field  officer  of  the  Piquett  guard  to  night,  Maj.r.  Brooks. 

Field  officer  of  the  Main  guard  to  morrow,  Lieut.  Col.  Moulton. 

Field  officer  of  the  Fatigue  to  morrow,  Maj*  Stacy. 

Adjutant  of  the  day  to  morrow,  Marshden. 

Regimental  orders. 

That  the  commanding  officer  of  each  company  see  his  company 
parade  on  the  grand  parade  by  4  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  in  order  for 
regimental  exercises.  That  each  commanding  officer  see  that  his  clerk 
calls  over  the  roll  every  morning  and  evening  before  he  marches  to  the 
grand  parade  and  see  that  they  are  all  there ;  that  each  commanding 
officer  see  these  as  well  as  the  regimental  orders  of  yesterday  punctu- 
ally obeyed  or  he  may  depend  on  suffering  according  to  the  rules  of 
war;  by  order  of  Gen.  Putnam. 

Adjutants  orders  for  to  morrow.  Draught  from  Cap.  Chesters 
comp.y  1  sub"  1  cor.!  and  15  privates  for  the  Main  guard. 

Gen!  orders,  June  9*}}  1775. 

Parole,  Sunderland  ;  Countersign,  Montague. 
Field  officer  of  the  day  to  morrow,  Col.  Nixon. 
Field  officer  of  the  Piquett  guard  to  night,  Majf  Woods. 
Field  officer  of  the  Main  guard  to  morrow,  Lieut.  Col.  Bond. 
Field  officer  of  the  Fatigue  to  morrow,  Maj-  Wood. 
Adjutant  of  the  day  to  morrow,  Holden. 

Adjutants  orders  for  to  morrow ;  draught  from  Cap.  Chesters  com- 
pany 1  serg.1.  1  cor!,  and  15  privates  for  Main  guard. 

Gen!,  orders,  June  lO!!1  1775. 

Parole,  Northfield  ;  Countersign,  Brimfield. 
Field  officer  of  the  day  to  morrow,  Col.  Gerish. 
Field  officer  of  the  Piquett  guard  to  night,  Maj*  Butterick. 
Field  officer  of  the  Main  guard  to  morrow,  Lieut.  Col.  Bricket. 
Adjutant  of  the  day  to  morrow,  Feebiger. 

Adjutants  order  for  to  morrow  ;  draught  1  subn.  1  cor1  1  serg*  and 
24  privates  for  Main  guard  to  morrow. 

Gen!,  orders,  June  IP-  1775. 

Parole,  Glinn  ;  Countersign,  Wilks. 

Field  officer  of  the  day  to  morrow,  Col.  Mansfield. 

Field  officer  of  the  Piquett  guard  to  night,  Maj.?  Putnam. 

Field  officer  of  the  Main  guard  to  morrow,  Lieut.  Col.  Clark. 

Field  officer  of  the  Fatigue  to  morrow,  Maj-  Poor. 

Adjutant  of  the  day  to  morrow,  Putnam. 


BATTLE-FIELD    OF   BUNKER   HILL.  39 

Gen1  orders,  June  12*h  1775. 

Parole,  York  ;  Countersign,  Kettery. 

Field  officer  of  the  day  to  morrow,  Col.  Woodbridge. 

Field  officer  of  the  Piquett  guard  to  night,  JMaj.1:  Wood. 

Field  officer  of  the  Main  guard  to  morrow,  Lieut.  Col.  Parker. 

Adjutant  of  the  day  to  morrow,  Montague. 

Adjutants  orders  for  to  night  and  to  morrow;  draught  1  serg*  and 
8  privates  for  the  Piquett  guard  to  night  and  1  sub?.  1  cor.1,  and  9  pri- 
vates for  the  Main  guard  to  morrow. 


Gen.1  orders,  June  13f.?  1775. 

Parole,  Woburn  ;  Countersign,  Concord. 
Field  officer  of  the  day  to  morrow,  Col.  W™  Prescott. 
Field  officer  of  the  Piquett  guard  to  night,  Maj'  Stacy. 
Field  officer  of  the  Main  guard  to  morrow,  Lieut.  Col.  Robinson. 
Adjutant  of  the  day  to  morrow,  Hardy. 

That  a  general  Court  Martial  be  held  this  day  at  9  o'clock  at  the 
school  house  to  try  all  such  persons  as  shall 

Capt.  Coit  Capt.  Foster 
„     Bancroft  „     Webb 

Col.  Fry,  President „     Frances  Lieut.  Theyer 

Jo!.  Tkumble,  Esq.,  Judge  Advocate   j        „     Newel  Capt.  Gooden 

„     Leason  „     Poller 

All  evidences  to  attend.  ■    J        „     Butler  Members. 

Adjutants  orders  for  tomorrow;  draught  1  serg*  1  cor.1,  and  17  pri- 
vates for  Main  guard. 

Gen.1,  orders,  June  14^  1775. 

Parole,  Welles  ;  Countersign,  Berwick. 
Field  officer  of  the  day  to-morrow,  Col.  Gardiner. 
Field  officer  of  the  Piquett  guard  to  night,  Maj.1!  Jackson. 
Field  officer  of  the  Main  guard  to  morrow  morning,  Lieut.  Col. 
Stores. 

Adjutant  of  the  day  to  morrow,  Hunt. 


Regimental  orders. 

That  the  commanding  officer  of  every  company  belonging  to  Con- 
necticut now  stationed  in  Cambridge,  excepting  Capt.  Knowlton,  in 
case  of  an  alarm  shall  repair  to  the  ground  where  Lieut.  Waterman  is 
now  encamped  ;  there  parade  and  wait  for  further  orders.  The  officer 
of  each  company  view  their  firelocks  and  see  that  they  be  fit  for  action 
and  each  man  provided  with  18  rounds  of  cartriges  and  two  flints  or 
more  and  in  case  of  an  engagement  that  no  man  fire  over  a  batalion 


40  BATTLE-FIELD   OF   BUNKER   HILL. 

engaged  in  battle  or  at  any  other  time  unless  he  is  very  sure  of  his 
mark.  That  the  officer  of  each  company  parade  with  his  own  men  on 
the  grand  parade  at  sunrising  and  at  4  o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 

Gen!  orders. 

That  every  Colonel  of  each  regiment,  take  and  keep  a  list  of  his  men 
their  names,when  enlisted,  place  of  residence,  age,  stature  and  complexion, 
and  order  the  roll  to  be  called  over  every  morning  and  evening;  all  officers 
see  that  tumults  and  differences  in  his  camp  be  supprest ;  that  all  soldiers 
repair  to  their  barracks  and  tents  after  the  beating  of  the  tattou,  on  pen- 
alty of  being  confined  ;  that  there  be  no  noise  in  camp  after  9  o'clock 
at  night ;  that  the  field  officer  of  the  day  take  special  care  to  prevent 
all  grogg  shops,  and  if  any  owners  of  them  continue  to  sell  spirituous 
liquors  to  the  soldiers,  he  is  ordered  to  stand  all  their  liquors  ;  all  offi- 
cers see  that  their  men  attend  upon  prayers  morning  and  evening,  also 
their  service  on  the  Lords  with  their  arms  ready  to  march  on  an  alarm, 
that  no  drums  beat  after  the  parson  is  on  the  stage,  and  the  men  imme- 
diately attend  ;  that  the  commanding  officer  of  each  reg.'  see  that  their 
arms  and  ammunition  be  viewed  daily,  and  that  there  be  none  wanting  ; 
that  every  reg'  keep  a  quarter  guard.  Adju.s.  orders;  draught  1  sub"  1 
serg*  and  17  privates  for  fatigue. 

Gen!  Orders,  151!1  June  1775. 

Parole  Taunton  ;  Countersign,  Pehoboth. 

Field  Officer  of  the  day  to  morrow,  ColV  Scammons. 

Field  Officer  of  the  Piquett  Guard  to  night,  Maj.  Durkee. 

Field  Officer  of  the  M.  Guard  to  morrow,  Lieut.  Col.  Nixon. 

Adjutant  of  the  day  to  morrow  —  Marshden. 

That  the  respective  Officers  that  furnish  men  for  the  Piquett  guards, 
strictly  examine  their  arms  and  ammunition,  before  they  march,  to  see 
that  the  arms  and  ammunition  of  the  piquet  guard  be  strictly  examined 
before  they  go  upon  duty  by  the  commanding  officer  of  the  piquet. 

Adjutants  Order;  Draught  from  Capt.  Chesters  Company  1  Sub".  1 
Serg1  1  Corp!  and  24  privates  for  quarter  guard  at  Gen.  Putnams 
head  quarters  to  morrow  at  8  o'clock. 

Gen.  Orders,  16£  June  1775. 

Parole,  Lebanon  ;  Countersign,  Coventry. 

Field  officer  of  the  day  to  morrow,  Col.  Nixon. 

Field  officer  of  the  Piquett  Guard  to  night,  Maj.  Brooks. 

Field  officer  of  the  M.   Guard  to  morrow,  Lieut.  Col.  Hutchirfson. 

Adjutant  of  the  day  to  morrow —  Ilolden. 

Adj4*  Orders;  Draught  from  Cap.  Chesters  Comp?  1  Serg*  and  13 
privates  for  fatigue  to  morrow,  and  3  privates  for  advance  guard  to 
night. 

Special  orders ;  Draught  from  Capt  Chesters  Compf  1  Sub"  1  Serg* 
&  28  privates,  and  appear  on  the  grand  Parade  equiped  with  ammu- 
nition, Blankets  and  one  days  provision  at  5  o'clock  P.  M. 


BATTLE-FIELD    OF   BUNKER   HILL.  41 

Gen!  Orders,  June  17th  1775. 

Parole,  Deerfield ;  Countersign,  Conway. 

Field  Officer  of  the  day  to  morrow,  Col!  Geerish. 

Field  Officer  of  the  Piquett  Guard  to  night,  Maj.  Woodi 

Field  Officer  of  the  Main  Guard  to  morrow,  Lieut.  Col.  Baldwin. 

Adjutant  of  the  day  to  morrow —  Feebiger. 

Adjutants  Orders;  Draught  1  Serg!  and  10  privates  from  Capt. 
Chesters  Company  to  parade  at  5  o'clock  Equipt  with  2  days  provisions 
ready  drest  &  Blankets  in  order  to  march  to  the  assistance  of  the  Con- 
necticut Troops  at  Charlestown  per  order  Gen!  Putnam. 


Letter  of  William    Williams. 

To  the  Hon1'.1 

Eutiialet  Dyer, 

Roger  Sherman, 

Silas  Dean, 

Delegates  at  the  Gen1  Congress,  &c. 

Philadelphia. 
Pr  Express. 

Leb?  20th  June,  1775.  10  o'Clo,  at  night. 
Dear  Gent,  —  The  Governour's  Letter  you  will  receive  by  this 
Express  —  had  introduced  the  action  commenced  at  Charlestown  on 
Sat'y  morn'g  last,  and  stop'd  to  wait  further  Intelligence,  having  then 
(a  few  hours  since)  a  very  broken  ace?  of  ye  matter ;  he  will  himself 
add,  I  suppose,  what  further  has  just  come  by  Capt.  Llij.  Hyde  of  this 
Town.  The  sum  of  his  Information  as  I  recollect  it  is,  viz.  about  1500 
of  ye  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut  Troops  by  order  possessed  them- 
selves of  Bunker's  Hill,  Fryday  night,  &  had  made  great  progress  in 
Intrenohments  by  the  light  of  next  morn'g,  but  not  prepared  to  use 
what  small  Cannon  they  had.  Soon  as  They  were  discovered,  the 
ships  within  reach  &  a  number  of  floating  batteries  mounted  with 
cannon  which  had  been  prepared  began  a  heavy  Fire  upon  them,  but 
did  not  greatly  annoy  them  at  first.  About  Two  thousand  Regular 
Troops  also  immediately  crossed  over  to  Charlestown  and  set  the 
Town  in  Flames  in  various  parts,  (which  all  but  a  few  scattered  houses 
is  consumed)  and  approached  to  attack  the  Hill.  The  Provincials  sent 
of  for  Reinforcements,  and  in  the  mean  time  bravely  resisted  the 
Enemy.  Recruits  arrived  before  they  had  got  very  near,  and  kept 
their  fire  tho'  perpetually  fired  upon  till  the  Enemy  got  within  ab*  15 
rods  and  then  gave  it  a  full  loose,  and  made  as  they  conceived  very 
great  destruction  upon  them,  mowing  down  whole  Ranks  of  them  12 
deep,  till  they  began  to  retreat  apace,  and  the  left  of  our  Troops 
leaped  their  Breastwork,  of  a  rail  fence  and  pursued  them  fast  abt.  20 
rods,  when  perceiving  their  own  right  giving  way  (which  'tis  found 
was  occasioned  by  Gen!  Pomroys  ordering  them  who  were  there  in 
front,  and  had  been  on  Fatigue  all   night  faint  and   hungry,  to  give 

0 


42  BATTLE-FIELD    OF   BUNKER   HILL. 

back,  intending  only  to  make  room  for  recruits  just  come  up,  but  in 
the  confusion  it  was  misunderstood,  and  they  all  retreated  on  that 
wing),  our  troops  perceiving  their  right  to  be  giving  back,  and  at  the 
same  time  a  large  detachment  of  the  Regulars  who  had  unperceived 
made  a  large  circular  march  to  the  westward  partly  across  Green's 
Hill  above  them,  forcing  into  their  Fort  and  Intrenchment  which  they 
had  almost  deserted,  it  was  apparently  prudent  and  necessary  all  to 
retreat,  which  they  did  without  precipitation,  carrying  off  all  their 
wounded  men,  and  possessed  themselves  of  Green's  Hill  next  above 
Bunker's,  which  they  are  now  holding  and  fortifying  and  have  done 
much  to  strengthen,  leaving  the  latter  in  ye  possession  of  the  Enemy, 
which  they  are  also  fortifying,  and  firing  of  yc  Cannon  continued  by 
turns  when  Mr.  Hyde  left  ye  camp  yesterday  morning  10  o'clock. 
Some  of  our  soldiers'  packs  and  baggage  fell  into  the  Enemy's  hands, 
ye  tools,  perhaps  all,  and  two  or  3  field  pieces,  all  they  had  with  them. 
As  near  as  could  be  come  at  we  had  lost  in  fill  between  40  and  70 
killed  and  140  wounded.  They  have  lost  'tis  not  doubted  many  more, 
but  we  know  not  the  number ;  a  man  escaped  from  Boston  says  he 
saw  them  land  500  wounded  men.  Among  our  wounded  is  Col.  Gard- 
ner dangerously  in  ye  Groin  and  Hip,  L*  Tlio'  Grosvenor  of  Fomfret 
badly  in  the  left  hand,  —  the  author  of  my  news  knows  not  any  officer 
beside  wounded,  and  does  not  mention  any  killed. 

The  ardour  of  Dear  Dr.  Warren  co'd  not  be  restrained  by  the  en- 
treaty of  his  bretheren  of  the  Congress,  &c,  &  he  is,  alas,  among  the 
slain.  May  eternal  happiness  be  his  eternal  portion.  Gen.  Putnam's 
Regim!  were  all  in  the  action,  save  Capt.  Mosely  &  Company  who 
were  absent  on  some  other  duty.  Our  Troops  are  in  exceeding  high 
spirits,  &  their  Resolution  increases,  they  long  to  speak  with  them 
again,  and  when  the  reinforcement  was  called  for,  it  was  difficult  to 
keep  any  back.  It  was  reported  and  believed  some  hours  that  Capt. 
Chester  and  Capt.  Putnam  were  killed,  but  is  a  mistake  as  to  both.  I 
receive  it  that  Gen.  Putnam  commanded  our  Troops,  perhaps  not  in 
chief,  and  'tis  said  is  wounded,  but  bleive  tis  not  so.  Cannot  learn 
who  commanded  yc  Regulars  nor  who  is  killed  among  them. 

The  same  night  another  detachment  of  our  forces  began  to  intrench" 
on  Dorchester  Hill,  &  a  feint  of  attack  and  resistance  was  made  by 
the  Regulars,  but  nothing  more  done  but  firing  and  throwing  carcases 
into  Roxbury,  which  did  some  mischief  to  the  Houses,  but  burnt  none, 
and  killed  one  Middletown  soldier.  They  have,  'tis  said,  ceased  their 
works  by  Gen1  Thomas  order,  but  keep  it  guarded.  What  the  next 
effort  will  be  we  know  not,  but  hope  to  be  prepared  to  resist  it.  One 
thing  hinted  at  in  his  Honour's  Letter  is  wanted  much.  Your  most 
worthy  Body  will  not  cease  your  utmost  in  the  cause,  which  we  are 
far  from  despairing  of.  Have  sketched  this  imperfect  narrative  in 
great  haste  and  confined  myself  to  that  only.  Your  wisdom  and  zeal 
will  be  all  employed  for  the  whole,  and  for  those  in  a  meaner  situation, 
&c,  who  must  feel  more  sensibly  than  perhaps  'tis  possible  for  remote 
Colonies.  We  have  and  wish  no  quarrel  with  the  King,  but  only  the 
despotic  power  of  Parliament.     Would  not  another  petition  addressed 


BATTLE-FIELD    OF   BUNKER   HILL.  43 

to  the  people  of  Great  Britain  be  of  some  avail,  and  also  to  the  people 
of  Ireland. 

We  have  great  Reason  to  bless  the  name  of  our  God  for  so  great  a 
degree  of  success  and  advantage  as  we  have  had  in  the  last  as  well  as 
former  conflicts,  and  to  be  deeply  humbled  for  our  sins.     We  rejoice 
that  you  have  appoiuted  a  day  of  Fasting,  &c. 
I  am,  Dear  Gent, 

Your  and  our  Country's 
Steady  Friend,  &c. 

Wm.  Williams. 
Hon.  E.  Dyer,  Esq.,  &c. 

Have  heard  Col.  Hancock  is  impatient  to  get  into  the   Army,  I 
rather  think  his  duty  calls  him  to  abide  where  he  is  at  present. 


Loami  Baldwin  to  Mary  Baldioin. 

Sunday,  4  o'clock.     Cambridge  Camp,  June  18,  1775. 

Dear  Wife,  —  I  am  yet  in  the  land  of  the  living,  and  once  more 
an  opportunity  to  write  to  you ;  —  Blessed  be  the  name  of  God  there- 
for. I  am  much  fatigued  and  very  dirty ;  should  be  glad  you  would 
send  me  a  shift  of  linen.  I  was  not  in  the  battle  on  Bunker's  Hill 
yesterday,  but  went  with  the  recruits  and  met  the  men  from  the  fort 
or  breast-work,  where  there  was  a  great  number  of  cannon  shot  struck 
near  me,  but  they  were  not  suffered  to  hurt  me. 

I  have  nothing  in  particular  to  inform  you  of,  but  only  we  are  in- 
trenching on  the  Hill  between  Cambridge  and  Charlestown  north  of 
the  stone  house,  where  the  Regulars  have  fired  a  great  number  of  can- 
non at  us,  but  have  not  injured  us  any  at  all. 

In  haste  I  conclude  with  most  ardent  affection,  your  friend  and  hus- 
band. L.  Baldwin. 

N.  B.  —  My  duty  to  my  parents  &  Love  to  Brother  and  all  friends. 
Please  send  me  some  W!  rum  if  you  have  an  opportunity. 


Letter  of  John  R.  Adan. 

Boston,  Dec.  21,  1841. 

Dear  Sir,  —  In  compliance  with  your  request,  I  proceed  to  give 
you  some  account  of  my  interview  with  a  gentleman,  named  Ewing, 
some  few  years  since.  I  was  returning  with  a  friend  from  a  journey, 
and  met  with  Mr.  E.  at  Princeton  in  this  State,  where  I  arrived  in  the 
afternoon,  and  remained  until  the  next  day.  My  friend  introduced  me 
to  Mr.  Ewing.  He  was  advanced  in  years,  quite  intelligent,  and 
courteous  in  his  manners.  Finding  that  he  had  adhered  to  the  British 
in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  that  he  had  been  intimate  with  many  of 
the  leading  men  in  that  struggle,  I  put  many  inquiries  to  him  concern- 


44  BATTLE-FIELD   OF   BUNKER   HILL. 

ing  them,  and  the  scenes  in  which  they  acted.  He  said  he  was  in 
Boston  when  the  battle  of  Bunker's  Hill  was  fought ;  that,  on  the 
morning  of  the  17th  of  June,  General  Gage  and  the  principal  officers  of 
the  British  army  met  in  consultation  at  the  "Province  House,"  and 
that  he  (Mr.  E.)  called  there  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  their 
views  and  intentions.  lie  said  he  was  at  the  Province  House  im- 
mediately after  the  arrangements  for  attacking  the  Americans  had  been 
made ;  that  he  met  in  the  front  yard  of  the  house  an  officer  of  the 
name  of  Buggies,  who  expressed  himself  warmly  opposed  to  the  de- 
cision of  the  other  officers,  and  said  that  they  had  most  imprudently 
decided  to  attack  the  Americans  in  front,  —  that  it  would  cost  many 
lives,  —  that  the  English  officers  would  not  believe  that  the  Americans 
woidd  light,  but  that  he  knew  they  would  fight  desperately  if  attacked 
in  the  manner  proposed  ;  that  his  own  advice  had  been  to  attack  the 
Americans  in  the  rear,  and  thus  cut  off  their  retreat,  and  prevent  their 
receiving  reinforcements,  but  that  his  opinion  had  been  overruled. 
The  event  showed,  said  Mr.  Ewing,  that  Buggies  had  judged  correctly. 
Never,  said  Mr.  E.,  were  there  more  amazement,  disappointment,  and 
distress  felt  on  any  occasion  than  I  witnessed  in  Boston  on  the  after- 
noon and  night  of  that  17th  of  June.  The  slaughter  had  been  so  great 
that  there  were  few  who  had  not  lost  some  relative  or  dear  friend. 
There  were  so  many  wounded  that  the  surgeons  could  not  properly 
attend  to  all  of  them.  Late  in  the  afternoon  of  that  day,  Mr.  E.  said 
he  was  passing  through  Orange  Street  (now  part  of  Washington 
Street),  and  met  a  physician  (I  think  Dr.  Hast)  in  his  gig.  He 
stopped  and  informed  Mr.  Ewing  that  his  friend  Major  Pitcairu  was 
severely  wounded,  and  that  General  Gage  had  sent  a  request  to  the 
Doctor  that  he  would  call  on  Pitcairn,  as  the  regular  surgeons  were 
too  busy  to  attend  to  him  properly.  Knowing  the  intimacy  that  ex- 
isted between  Ewing  and  Pitcairn,  he  requested  the  former  to  accom- 
pany him  in  his  visit,  and  he  did  so. 

Soon  after  Major  P.  was  wounded,  he  was  brought  over  to  Boston, 
and  was  removed  from  the  boat  to  a  house  on  the  north  easterly  side 
of  Prince  Street,  near  the  present  Charles  Biver  Bridge.  We  found 
him,  said  Mr.  E.,  in  a  chamber  there,  lying  on  a  bed,  with  a  sheet 
thrown  over  him.  The  Doctor  told  him  that  General  Gage  was  very 
anxious  about  him,  and  that  he  made  the  visit  by  his  request.  Pit- 
cairn, with  his  usual  courtesy,  requested  the  Doctor  to  thank  the  Gen- 
eral for  thinking  of  him  in  a  time  of  so  much  trouble,  and  added  that 
he  believed  he  was  beyond  all  human  aid.  The  Doctor  asked  him 
where  he  was  wounded,  lie  laid  his  hand  on  his  breast,  and  answered 
"Here,  sir."  The  Doctor  attempted  to  raise  the  sheet  for  the  purpose 
of  examining  the  wound.  The  Major  kept  his  hand  on  the  sheet  and 
said :  "  Excuse  me ;  it  is  useless  ;  my  time  is  short ;  you  cannot  do 
any  thing  for  my  relief;  my  wound  must  cause  death  immediately;  I 
am  bleeding  fast  internally."  "  But  let  me  see  the  wound,"  said  the 
Doctor ;  "  you  may  be  mistaken  in  regard  to  it ; "  and  again  he  at- 
tempted to  raise  the  sheet.  The  Major  pressed  it  to  his  bosom  and  said : 
"  Doctor,  excuse  me ;  I  know  you  can  do  nothing  for  me ;  and  do  not 


BATTLE-FIELD    OF   BUNKER   HILL.  45 

argue  the  matter  with  me;"  adding,  with  a  smile,  "It  is  not  a  fair 
argument  between  two  persons,  one  of  whom  has  but  a  few.miuutes  to 
live,  while  the  other,  I  hope,  has  many  years  of  life  before  him.  Let 
me  say  a  few  words  to  you  about  my  private  concerns."  The  Doctor 
then  drew  back.  I  bade  Pitcairn  farewell,  and  left  them ;  and  the 
Doctor  informed  me  that  the  Major  died  within  an  hour  afterwards. 
Pitcairn  was  a  good  soldier,  a  most  excellent  and  exemplary  man,  and 
highly  respected  by  all  parties. 

Another  anecdote.  I  have  never  known  whether  the  Americans 
had  any  flag  at  Bunker's  Hill ;  but  I  have  been  told  they  had  one, 
and  that  the  British  officers  on  Copp's  Hill  were  endeavouring  to  dis- 
cover what  was  painted  on  it.  After  puzzling  themselves  in  vain  for 
some  time,  a  Mr.  Mather  said  to  them  :  "  Give  me  your  glass,  I  think 
I  can  read  it."  Taking  it  for  a  few  seconds,  he  returned  it,  and  said, 
"  It  is  very  plain  ;  their  motto  is  '  Come  if  you  dare.' "  But  Mather 
was  a  whig.  1  have  always  thought  the  loss  of  the  British  underrated. 
An  aged  person,  now  deceased,  who  knew  Gage  well,  heard  him  say 
that  the  British  loss  on  the  17th  was  more  than  1500  men.  I  have 
thus  told  you,  I  believe,  all  I  promised,  and  have  only  one  request  to 
make ;  viz.,  that  whatever  use  may  be  made  of  this  letter,  my  name 
may  not  be  mentioned.  I  have  great  aversion  to  seeing  my  name  in 
print.  With  sincere  respect  and  regard, 

Yours, 

J.  R.  Ad  an. 

Copy  of  a  letter  from  Brigadier  General  Jones,  Colonel  of  the  52d 
regiment,  to  his  friend  at  Halifax  in  Yorkshire,  dated  Boston, 
June  19. 

"My  much  respected  Friend, — *0n  Saturday  the  17th  inst. 
there  was  a  smart  action  on  Charles  town  hill,  facing  this  town,  and 
about  a  mile  and  an  half  distant,  where  the  rebels  had  taken  post. — 
To  dislodge  them  the  grenadiers  and  light  infantry  companies,  sup- 
ported by  six  regiments,  attacked  them,  entrenched  up  to  their  chins, 
and  flanked  by  strong  redoubts,  which  they  carried,  putting  the  rebels 
to  flight,  with  great  slaughter  and  consternation.  The  fate  of  the  battle 
fell  hard  to  the  share  of  the  52d  regiment;  the  officers  and  men  be- 
haved remarkably  well,  and  gained  immortal  honour,  though  with  con- 
siderable loss,  as  you  have  seen  from  the  return  of  the  killed  and 
wounded.  The  rest  of  the  army,  that  had  no  share  in  the  action,  the 
sailors  on  board  the  ships  of  war  and  transports,  tin;  inhabitants  from 
the  rising  grounds,  and  from  windows  and  the  tops  of  houses,  were 
spectators,  and  beheld  with  astonishment,  true  British  valour,  —  saw 
the  rebels,  forced  from  their  cover,  run  in  a  most  cowardly  manner, 
not  daring  to  look  behind,  leaving  Charles-town  in  flames,  when  houses 
would  no  longer  shelter  them.  I  have  seen  many  actions,  but  the 
solemn  procession  preparative  to  this,  in  embarking  the  troops  in  the 
boats,  the  order  in  which  they  rowed  across  the  harbour,  their  alertness 
in  making  good  their  landing,  their  instantly  forming  in  front  of  the 


46  BATTLE-FIELD   OF   BUNKER   HILL. 

enemy,  and  marching  to  action,  was  a  grand  interesting  sight  to  all 
concerned.  —  Let  such  as  inquire  after  me  know  that  I  am  in  perfect 
health,  and  present  them  with  my  compliments. 

I  am,  &c,  Val.  Jones. 

P.  S.  Ensign  Lister  is  in  good  spirits ;  his  wound  recovers  but 
slowly.  —  He  is  not  only  a  good,  but  a  brave  young  soldier,  who  is 
deservedly  esteemed." 


I.*) 


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